The Creation.

WHat can I see, O God, in thy Creation but miracles of wonders? Thou madest some­thing of nothing, and of that somthing all things. Thou which wast without a beginning, gauest [Page 2] a beginning to time, and to the world in time: It is the praise of vs men if when we haue matter, we can giue fashion; thou gauest a beeing to the matter, without forme; thou gauest a form to that matter, and a glory to that forme; If wee can but finish a sleight and vnperfest matter, according to a former patterne, it is the height of our skill, but to beginne that which neuer was, whereof there was no example, whereto there was no inclination, wherin there was no possibility of that which it should bee, is proper onely to such power as thine; the infinite power of an infinite creator: with vs, not so much as a thought can arise without some matter, but heere with thee, all matter arises [Page 3] from nothing. How easie is it for thee to repaire all out of some­thing, which couldest thus fetch al out of nothing? wherin can we now distrust thee, that hast proo­ued thy self thus omnipotent? Be­hold to haue made the least clod of nothing, is more aboue won­der then to multiply a world; but now the matter doth not more praise thy power, then the forme thy wisedome; what beauty is heere? what order? what order in working? what beauty in the worke.

Thou mightest haue made all the world perfect in an instant, but thou wouldest not. That wil, which caused thee to create, is reason enough why thou diddest [Page 4] thus create. How should we deli­berate in our actions, which are so subiect to imperfection, since it pleased thine infinite perfection (not out of need) to take leasure. Neither did thy wisedome heere­in proceede in time onely, but in degrees: At first thou madest no­thing absolute; first thou madest things which should haue being without life, then those which should haue life and being; lastly those which haue being, life, rea­son: So we our selues in the ordi­nary course of generation, first liue the life of vegetation, then of sense, of reason afterwards. That instant wherein the heauen and the earth were created in their rude matter, there was neither day nor light, but presently thou [Page 5] madest both light & day. Whiles wee haue this example of thine, how vainely do wee hope to bee perfect at once? It is well for vs, if through many degrees wee can rise to our consummation.

But (alas) what was the very he­uen it selfe without light? how confused? how formelesse? like to a goodly body without a soule, like a soule without thee. Thou art light, and in thee is no darke­nesse. Oh how incomprehensi­bly glorious is the light that is in thee, since one glimpse of this created light gaue so liuely a glo­ry to al thy workemanship! This, euen the bruite creatures can be­hold: That, not the very Angels. That shines foorth onely to the [Page 6] other supreme world of immor­tality; this to the basest part of thy creation. There is one cause of our darkenesse on earth, and of the vtter darkenesse in hell, the restraint of thy light. Shine thou O God, into the vast corners of my soule, and in thy light I shall see light.

But whence, O God, was that first light? The sunne was not made till the fourth day, light the first. If man had then beene, he might haue seene all lightsome; but whence it had come he could not haue seene: As in some great pond, we see the bancks full, wee see not the springs whence that water ariseth. Thou that madest the Sunne, madest the light, with­out [Page 7] the Sunne, before the Sunne, that so light might depend vpon thee, and not vpon thy Creature. Thy power will not be limited to meanes. It was easie to thee to make an heauen without a Sunne, light without an heauen, day without a Sunne, time without a day: It is good reason thou shouldest bee the Lord of thine owne workes. All meanes serue thee: why doe wee weake wret­ches distrust thee; in the want of those meanes, which thou canst either command, or forbeare. How plainly wouldst thou teach vs, that wee creatures neede not one another, so long as wee haue thee? One day we shall haue light againe, without the Sunne. Thou shalt be our Sunne; thy presence [Page 8] shall be our light: Light is sowne for the righteous. This Sunne and light is but for the world below it selfe; thine only for aboue. Thou giuest this light to the Sunne, which the Sunne giues to the world: That light which thou shalt once giue vs, shall make vs shine like the Sunne in glory.

Now this light which for three daies was thus dispersed thorow the whole heauens, it pleased thee at last to gather and vnite in­to one body of the Sunne. The whole heauen was our Sunne, before the Sunne was created: but now one starre must be the Trea­sury of light to the heauen and earth. How thou louest the vnion and reduction of all things of [Page 9] one kind to their owne head and center.

So the waters must by thy command be gathered into one place, the sea; so the vpper waters must be seuered by these aery li­mits from the lower: so heauy substances hasten downeward, aud light mount vp: so the ge­nerall light of the first daies must bee called into the compasse of one sunne; so thou wilt once ga­ther thine elect from all coasts of heauen to the participation of one glory. Why doe wee abide our thoughts and affections scat­tered from thee, from thy Saints, from thine Annointed? Oh let this light which thou hast now spread abroad in the hearts of all thine, once meet in thee: Wee are [Page 10] as thy heauens in this their first imperfection; be thou our Sunne, into which our light may be ga­thered.

Yet this light was by thee in­terchanged with darknes, which thou mightst as easily haue com­manded to bee perpetuall. The continuance euen of the best things cloieth, and wearieth: there is nothing but thy selfe, wherein there is not satiety. So pleasing is the vicissitude of things, that the intercourse euen of those occur­rents which in their owne nature are lesse worthy, giues more con­tentment, then the vnaltered e­state of better. The day dies into night; and rises into the morning againe; that we might not expect [Page 11] any stability heere below, but in perpetuall succession [...]: It is al­waies daie with thee aboue: the night sauoreth onely of mortali­tie: Why are we not heere spiri­tually as wee shall be heereafter? Since thou hast made vs children of the light, and of the day, teach vs to walk euer in the light of thy presence, not in the darknesse of error and vnbeleefe.

Now in this thine inlightned frame, how fitly, how wisely are all the parts disposed; that the method of the creation might an­swer the matter, the forme, both. Behold all purity aboue; below, the dregges and lees of all. The higher I goe, the more perfecti­on; each element superiour to o­ther, [Page 12] not more in place then dig­nity; that by these staires of as­cending perfection our thoughts might climbe vnto the top of all glory, and might know thine em­pyreal heauen no lesse glorious a­boue the visible, than those aboue the earth. Oh how miserable is the place of our pilgrimage, in re­spect of our home! Let my soule tread a while in the steps of thine owne proceedings; and so thinke as thou wroughtest: When wee would describe a man, wee begin not at the feete, but the head: The head of thy Creation is the hea­uen; how high? how spatious? how glorious? It is a wonder that we can looke vp to so admirable an height, and that the very eye is not tyred in the way. If this as­cending [Page 13] line could bee drawne right forwards, some that haue calculated curiously haue found it 500. yeares iourney vnto the starrie heauen. I doe not examine their arte; O Lord, I wonder ra­ther at thine, which hast drawne so large a line about this little point of earth: For in the plainest rules of art and experience, the compasse must needs be six times as much as halfe the height. Wee thinke one Iland great, but the earth vnmeasurably. If wee were in that heauen with these eies, the whole earth (were it equally in­lightned) would seeme as little to vs, as now the least starre in the firmament seemes to vs vpon earth: And indeed, how few stars are so little as it? And yet how [Page 14] many void and ample spaces are there besides all the starres? The hugenesse of this thy worke, O God, is little inferiour for admira­on to the maiesty of it. But oh what a glorious heauen is this which thou hast spred ouer our heads? With how pretious a vault hast thou walled in this our infe­rior world? What worlds of light hast thou set aboue vs? Those things which wee see are won­drous; but those which wee beleeue and see not, are yet more. Thou dost but set out these vn­to view, to shew vs what there is within. How proportionable are thy works to thy selfe? Kings erect not cotages, but set foorth their magnificence in sumptuous buildings: so hast thou done, O [Page 15] King of glory. If the lowest paue­ment of that heauen of thine bee so glorious, what shall we thinke of the better parts yet vnseene? And if this Sunne of thine bee of such brightnesse and maiesty, oh what is the glory of the maker of it? And yet if some other of thy starres were let downe as low as it, those other starres would bee Sunnes to vs; which now thou hadst rather to haue admired in their distance. And if such a skie be prepared for the vse and bene­fit euen of thine enemies also vp­on earth, how happie shall those eternall Tabernacles bee, which thou hast sequestred for thine owne?

Behold then in this high and [Page 16] stately building of thine, I see three stages; This lowest heauen for fowles, for vapours, for mete­ors: The second for the starres: The third for thine Angels and Saints. The first is thine outward Court, open for all: The second is the body of thy couered Tem­ple, wherin are those candles of heauen perpetually burning: The third is thine Holy of Holies. In the first is tumult, and vanity: In the second immutability & rest: In the third glory and blessednes. The first we feele, the second we see, the third we beleeue. In these two lower is no felicity, for nei­ther the fowles, nor starres are happy. It is the third heauen a­lone, where thou, O blessed Tri­nity, enioyest thy selfe, and thy [Page 17] glorified spirits inioy thee. It is the manifestation of thy glorious presence that makes heauen to be it selfe; This is the priuiledge of thy children: that they he reseeing thee which art inuisible by the eye of faith, haue already be­gun that heauen which the per­fect sight of thee shall make per­fect aboue. Let my soule then let these heauens alone till it may see, as it is seeene. That wee may descend to this lowest and mea­nest region of heauen, wherwith our senses are more acquainted; What maruels doe euen heere meete with vs? There are thy clouds the bottles of raine, ves­sels as thin as the liquor which is contained in them: there they hange, and mooue, (though [Page 18] mighty with their burden:) How they are vpheld, and why they fall, heere, and now, wee know not, and wonder; these thou ma­kest one while as some aery seas to hold water: an other while, as some aery fornaces, whence thou scatterest thy sudden fires vnto all parts of the earth, astonishing the world with the fearefull noyse of that eruption: out of the midst of water thou fetchest fire; and hard stones out of the midst of thinne vapours; another while, as some steele glasses, wherein the Sunne lookes and shewes his face in the variety of those colours which he hath not; There are thy streames of light, blazing and falling stars, fires darted vp and downe in ma­ny formes, hollow openings, and [Page 19] (as it were) gulfes in the skie; bright circles about the moone, and other planets, snowes, haile: In all which it is enough to ad­mire thine hand, though wee cannot search out thine action. There are thy subtle windes, which wee heare and feele, yet neither can see their substance, nor know their causes; whence and whither they passe, and what they are, thou knowest. There are thy fowles of all shapes, co­lours, notes, natures: whiles I compare these with the inhabi­tants of that other heauen, I find those starres, and spirits like one another: These meteors and fowles, in as many varieties, as there are seuerall creatures. Why is this? Is it because man (for [Page 20] whose sake these are made) de­lights in change; thou in con­stancie? Or is it, that in these thou maiest shew thine owne skill, and their imperfection▪ There is no varietie in that which is perfect, because there is but one perfection; and so much shall wee grow neerer to perfect­nesse, by how much wee draw neerer to vnitie, and vniformitie. From thence, if wee goe downe to the great deepe, the wombe of moisture, the well of foun­taines, the great pond of the world; wee know not whether to wonder at the Element it selfe, or the guests which it containes. How doth that sea of thine roare and fome and swell, as if it would swallow vp the earth? Thou [Page 21] stayest the rage of it by an incen­sible violence: and by a naturall miracle confinest his waues, why it mooues, and why it staies, it is [...]o vs equally wonderfull: what li­uing mountaines (such are thy Whales) rowle vp and downe in those fearefull billows: for great­nesse of number, hugenesse of quantity, strangenesse of shapes, variety of fashions, neither ayre nor earth can compare with the waters: I say nothing of thy hid treasures which thy wisedome hath reposed in the bowels of the earth and sea; How secretly, and how basely are they laide vp? se­cretly, that wee might not seeke them; basely, that we might not ouer esteeme them: I neede not dig so low as these mettals, mi­neries, [Page 22] quarres, which yeeld ri­ches enough of obseruation to the soule. How many millions of wonders doth the very face of the earth offer mee? which of these herbes, floures, trees, leaues, seeds, fruits, is there? What beast, what worme, wherein wee may not see the footsteps of a Deitie: wherein wee may not read infi­nitenesse of power of skill: and must be forced to confesse, that hee which made the Angels and starres of heauen, made also the vermin on earth: O God the hart of man is too strait to admire e­nough euen that which he treads vpon? What shall we say to thee the maker of all these? O Lord how wonderfull are thy works in all the world, in wisedome hast [Page 23] thou made them all. And in all these thou spakest, and they were done. Thy wil is thy word, & thy word is thy deed. Our tongue, and hand, and hart are different: all are one in thee; which art sim­ply one, & infinite. Here needed no helps, no instruments: what could be present with the eternal: what needed, or what could bee added to the infinite? Thine hand is not shortned, thy word is still equally effectuall; say thou the word and my soule shall be made new againe: say thou the word, & my body shall be repayred from his dust. For all things obey thee; O Lord why doe I not yeeld to the word of thy counsell; since I must yeeld, as all thy creatures, to the word of thy command?

Man.

BVt (O God) what a little Lord hast thou made ouer this great world? The least corne of sand is not so small to the whole earth, as man is to the heauen: when I see the heauens, the sun, moone, and stars, O God what is man? Who would thinke thou shouldst make all these creatures for one, and that one, well-neere the least of all? Yet none but hee, can see what thou hast done; none but hee can admire, and a­dore thee in what he seeth; how had hee need to doe nothing but this, since hee alone must doe it? Certainly the price and vertue of things consists not in the quanti­ty: [Page 25] one diamond is more woorth then manie quarries of stone, one loadstone hath more vertue then mountaines of earth: It is lawfull for vs to praise thee in our selues: All thy creation hath not more wonder in it, then one of vs: other creatures thou madest by a simple command; Man, not without a diuine consultation: others at once; Man thou didst first forme, then inspire: others in seuerall shapes like to none but themselues: Man after thine own image: others with qualities fit for seruice; Man for dominion; Man had his name from thee; They had their names from man; How shold we be consecrated to thee aboue all others, since thou hast bestowed more cost on vs [Page 26] then others? What shall I admire first? Thy prouidence in the time of our creation? Or thy power & wisedome in the act? First thou madest the great house of the world & furnishedst it: then thou broughtest in thy Tenant to pos­sesse it; The bare wals had beene too good for vs, but thy loue was aboue our desert: Thou that ma­dest ready the earth for vs be­fore wee were, hast by the same mercy prepared a place in hea­uen for vs whiles we are on earth. The stage was first fully prepared then was man brought forth, thi­ther, as an actor, or spectator, that he might neither be idle nor discontent, behold thou hadst addressed an earth for vse, an hea­uen for contemplation: after thou [Page 27] hadst drawne that large and reall mappe of the world; thou didst thus abridge it into this little ta­ble of man; hee alone consists of Heauen and earth; soule and bo­die. Euen this earthly part which vile in comparison of the other, as it is thine (O God) I dare ad­mire it, though I can neglect it as mine owne, for loe; this heape of earth hath an outward reference to heauen, other creatures grouel downe to their earth, and haue all their senses intent vpon it; this is reared vp towards heauen, and hath no more power to look be­side Heauen, then to tread beside the earth. Vnto this, euery part hath his wonder. The head is neerest to heauen, as in place, so in resemblance; both for round­nesse [Page 28] of figure, and for those di­uine guests which haue their seat in it; There dwell those maiesti­call powers of reson, which make a man; all the senses as they haue their originall from thence, so they doe all agree there to mani­fest the vertue: how goodly pro­portions hast thou set in the face; such as though oft-times we can give no reason why they please, yet transport vs to admiration; what liuing glasses are those which thou hast placed in the midst of this visage, whereby all obiects from farre are clearly re­presented to the minde? and be­cause their tendernesse lyes open to dangers, how hast thou defen­ced them with hollow bones, and with prominent browes, and lids? [Page 29] And least they should bee too much bent on what they ought not, thou hast giuen them peculi­ar nerues to pul them vp towards the seat of their rest? What a tongue hast thou giuen him; the instrument not of taste only, but of speech? How sweet and excel­lent voyces are formed by that little loose filme of flesh, what an incredible strength hast thou gi­uen to the weake bonds of the iawes? What a comely and tow­er-like necke, therefore most si­newye because smallest. And lest I be infinit, what able arms and ac­tiue hands hast thou framed him, whereby he can frame all things to his owne conceit. In euery part beauty, strength, conueni­ence meet together. Neither is [Page 30] there any wherof our weaknesse cannot giue reason, why it should be otherwise. How hast thou disposed of all the inward vessels, for all offices of life, nou­rishment, egestion, generation; No vaine sinew, artery is ydle. There is no peece in this exqui­site frame whereof the place, vse, forme, doth not admit wonder, and exceed it: Yet this body if it be compared to the soule, what is it, but as a clay wall that en­compasses a treasure, as the woodden boxe of a Ieweller; as a course case to a rich instrument, or as a maske to a beautifull face. Man was made last, because hee was woorthiest. The soule was inspired last, because yet more noble; If the body haue this ho­nor [Page 31] to bee the companion of the soule, yet withall it is the drudge. If it bee the instrument, yet also the clog of that diuine part. The companion for life, the drudge for seruice, the instrument for a­ction, the clog in respect of con­templation. These external works are effected by it, the internall which are more noble, hindered; Contrary to the bird which sings most in her cage, but flyes most and highest at liberty. This my soule teaches me of it selfe, that it selfe cannot conceiue how capa­ble, how actiue it is. It can passe by her nimble thoughts from heauen to earth in a moment, it can be al things, can comprehend all things; know that which is; and conceiue of that which neuer [Page 32] was, neuer shall be: Nothing can fill it, but thou which art infinite, nothing can limit it but thou which art euery were. O God which madest it, replenish it, pos­sesse it. Dwell thou in it which hast appointed it to dwel in clay. The body was made of earth common to his fellows, the soule inspired immediatly from God; The body lay senselesse vpon the earth like it selfe, the breath of liues gaue it what it is, and that breath was from thee. Sence, mo­tion, reason, are infused into it, at once. From whence then was this quickening breath? No ayre, no earth, no water was heere v­sed to giue helpe to this worke: Thou that breathedst vpon man, and gauest him the holy spirit: [Page 33] didst also breath vpon the body, and gauest it a liuing spirit, wee are beholden to nothing but thee for our soule. Our flesh is from flesh; our spirit is from the God of spirits. How should our soules rise vp to thee, and fixe themselues in their thoughts vp­on thee who alone created them in their infusion, & infused them in their creation? How should they long to returne backe to the fountaine of their being, and au­thor of beeing glorious? Why may we not say that this soule as it came from thee, so it is like thee; as thou, so it, is one, imma­teriall, immortall, vnderstanding spirit, distinguished into three powers which all make vp one spirit. So thou the wise creator of [Page 34] all things wouldest haue some things to resemble their creator. These other creatures are all bo­dy; man is body and spirit; the Angels are all spirit, not without a kind of spirituall composition; Thou art alone after thine owne manner, simple, glorious, infinite; No creature can bee like thee in thy proper being; because it is a creature; How should our finite, weake, compounded nature, giue any perfect resemblance of thine? Yet of all visible creatures thou vouchsafest Man the neerest cor­respondence to thee: not so much in these naturall faculties, as in those diuine graces, wherewith thou beautifiest his soule.

Our knowledge, holines, righ­teousnes [Page 35] was like the first coppy from which they were drawne; Behold wee were not more like thee in these, then now wee are vnlike ourselues in their losse; O God we now praise our selues to our shame, for the better we were we are the worse, As the sons of some prodigall or tainted aunce­stors tell of the lands, and Lord­ships which were once theirs; onlie doe thou whet our desires answerable to the readinesse of thy mercies, that we may redeem what we haue lost; that wee may recouer in thee, what wee haue lost in our selues, The fault shall be ours if our damage proue not beneficiall.

I doe not finde that man thus [Page 36] framed found the want of an hel­per. His fruition of God gaue him fulnesse of contentment, the sweetnesse which hee found in the contemplation of this newe workmanship, and the glory of the author, did so take him vp, that hee had neither leisure nor cause of complaint. If man had craued an helper, he had grudged at the condition of his creation, and had questioned that which he had, perfection of being. But hee that gaue him his being, and knew him better then himselfe, thinks of giuing him comfort in the creature, whiles hee sought none but in his maker; Hee sees our wants, and forecasts our re­leefe, when wee thinke our selues too happy to complaine: How [Page 37] ready will he be to helpe our ne­cessities, that thus prouides for our perfection?

God giues the nature to his creatures, Man must giue the name, that hee might see they were made for him, they shal be, to him what hee will. In stead of their first homage, they are pre­sented to their new Lord, and must see of whom they hold. He that was so carefull of mans so­ueraignty in his innocence, how can he be carelesse of his safety in his renouation?

If God had giuen them their names, it had not bene so great a praise of Adams memory to re­call them as it was now of his [Page 38] iudgement (at first sight) to im­pose them, hee saw the inside of all the creatures at first; (his po­sterity sees but their skins euer since;) and by this knowledge he fitted their names to their dispo­sitions. All that hee saw were fit to be his seruants, none to be his companions. The same God that finds the want, supplies it. Ra­ther then mans innocency shall want an outward comfort, God will begin a new creation. Not out of the earth which was the matter of man, not out of the in­feriour creatures, which were the seruants of Man, but out of him­selfe, for dearnesse, for equality. Doubtlesse such was mans power of obedience, that if God had bid­den him yeeld vp his rib, waking, [Page 39] for this vse, he had done it cheer­fully, but the bounty of God was so absolute, that hee would not so much as consult with mans will, to make him happy. As man knew not while hee was made, so shal he not know while his other selfe is made out of him: that the comfort might be greater, which was seene before it was expected.

If the woman should haue bin made, not without the paine, or will of the man, she might haue bene vpbrayded with her depen­dance, and obligation. Now shee owes nothing but to her creator: The ribbe of Adam sleeping, can challenge no more of her, then the earth can of him. It was an happy change to Adam of a ribbe, [Page 40] for an helper; what help did that bone giue to his side? God had not made it, if it had beene super­fluous: and yet if man could not haue beene perfect without it, it had not beene taken out.

Many things are vse-ful & con­uenient, which are not necessary, and if God had seene man might not want it, how easie had it been for him which made the woman of that bone, to turne the flesh in­to another bone? but he saw man could not complaine of the want of that bone, which hee had so multiplied, so animated.

O God, wee can neuer be loo­sers by thy changes, we haue no­thing but what is thine, take from [Page 41] vs thine own, when thou wilt, we are sure thou canst not but giue vs better.

Paradise.

MAn could no sooner see, then hee saw himselfe hap­pie: His eye-sight and reason were both perfect at once, and the obiects of both were able to make him as happy as he would, when he first opened his eies, he saw heauen aboue him, earth vn­der him, the creatures about him, God before him, hee knew what all these things meant, as if he had been long acquainted with them all: He saw the heauens glorious, [Page 42] but farre off, his maker thought it requisite to fit him with a para­dise neerer home. If God had ap­pointed him immediatly to hea­uen, his body had beene super­fluous; It was fit his body should bee answered with an earthen i­mage of that heauen which was for his soule: Had man bin made only for contemplation, it would haue serued as well to haue been placed in some vast desert, on the top of some barren mountaine; But the same power which gaue him an hart to meditate, gaue him hands to worke; and work fit for his hands; Neither was it the pur­pose of the Creator that man should but liue: mesure may stand with innocence; he that reioyced to see al he had made to be good, [Page 43] reioyceth to see all that hee had made to be well; God loues to see his creatures happy; Our lawfull delight is his: they know not God that thinke to please him with making themselues miserable.

The Idolaters thought it a fit seruice for Baal to cut and launce themselues; neuer any holy man lookt for thanks from the true God by wronging himselfe. Eue­ry earth was not fit for Adam, but a Garden; a Paradise: What ex­cellent pleasures, and rare varie­ties haue men found in gardens planted by the hands of men? And yet all the world of men cannot make one twig, or leafe, or spire of grasse: When hee that made the matter vndertakes the [Page 44] fashion, how must it needs be be­yond our capacity excellent? No herb, no flower, no tree was wan­ting there, that might bee for or­nament or vse; whether for sight, or for sent, or for tast. The boun­ty of God wrought further then to necessity: euen to comfort and recreation: Why are we niggard­ly to our selues when God is libe­rall? But for all this; if God had not there conuersed with man, no abundance could haue made him blessed.

Yet beholde that which was mans store house, was also his workehouse; His pleasure was his taske, Paradise serued not onely to feed his senses, but to exercise his hands: If happinesse had con­sisted [Page 45] in doing nothing, man had not beene employed; All his de­lights could not haue made him happy in an idle life. Man there­fore is no sooner made, then he is set to worke: Neither greatnesse nor perfection can priuiledge a foulded hand; Hee must labour because hee was happy; how much more we, that we may bee? This first labor of his was as with­out necessity, so without paines, without wearinesse; how much more cheerefully wee goe about our businesses, so much neerer we come to our Paradise:

Neither did these trees affoord him onely action for his hands, but instruction to his heart, for here he saw Gods sacraments [Page 46] grow before him; All other trees had a naturall vse; these two in the midst of the Garden, a spiri­tuall; Life is the act of the soule, knowledge the life of the soule; the tree of knowledge, and the tree of life then, were ordained as earthly helpes of the spirituall part: Perhaps he which ordained the ende, immortality of life; did appoint this fruit as the meanes, of that life; It is not for vs to in­quire after the life wee had; and the meanes we should haue had, I am sure it serued to nourish the soule by a liuely representation of that liuing tree, whose fruite is eternall life, and whose leaues serue to heale the nations.

O infinite mercy, man saw his [Page 47] Sauiour before him; ere hee had need of a Sauiour, hee saw in whom hee should recouer an heauenly life, ere hee lost the earthly; but after man had tasted of the tree of knowledge, hee might not taste of the tree of life; That immortall food was not for a mortall stomacke: Yet then did he most sauour that inuisible tree of life, when he was most restray­ned from the other.

O Sauiour, none but a sinner can rellish thee: My tast hath bin enough seasoned with the forbid­den fruit, to make it capable of thy sweetnesse; Sharpen thou as well the stomacke of my soule by repenting as by beleeuing, so shall I eate in despight of A­Adam, [Page 48] liue for euer. The one tree was for confirmation; the other for tryall, one shewed him what life hee should haue, the other what knowledge hee should not desire to haue: Alas, he that knew al other things, knew not this one thing, that he knew enough: how Diuine a thing is knowledge, whereof euen innocencie it selfe is ambitious? Satan knew what he did, If this bayt had beene gold, or honour, or pleasure, man had contemned it, who can hope to auoide error, when euen mans perfection is mistaken? He lookt for speculatiue knowledge, hee should haue looked for experi­mentall: he thought it had beene good to know euill: Good was large enough to haue perfected [Page 49] his knowledge, and therein his blessednesse.

All that God made was good, and the maker of them much more good; they good in their kinds, hee good in himselfe. It would not content him to know God, and his creatures, his curiosi­ty affected to know that which God neuer made, euill of sin, and euill of death, which indeed him­selfe made, by desiring to know them; now we know well euill e­nough & smart with knowing it. How dear hath this lesson cost vs that in some cases it is better to be ignorant; And yet do the sons of Eue inherit this saucy appetite of their grandmother; How many thousand soules miscarry with [Page 50] the presumptuous affectation of forbidden knowledge:

O God, thou hast reuealed more then we can know, enough to make vs happy, teach me a so­ber knowledge and a contented ignorance.

Paradise was made for man, yet there I see the serpent; what maruell is it if my corruption find the serpent in my closet, in my table, in my bed, when our ho­lie parents found him in the midst of Paradise: no sooner is he entred but he tempteth, hee can no more bee idle, then harm­lesse, I doe not see him at any o­ther tree; hee knew there was no danger in the rest▪ I see him at the [Page 51] tree forbidden. How true a ser­pent is he in euery point; In his insinuation to the place; in his choyce of the tree, in his assault of the woman, in his plausiblenes of speech to auoid terror, in his question to moue doubt, in his reply to work distrust, in his pro­testation of safety, in his suggesti­on to enuy and discontent, in his promise of gaine.

And if hee were so cunning at the first, what shall wee thinke of him now, after so many thousand yeares experience? Onely thou, (O God) and these Angels that see thy face are wiser then hee; I doe not aske why, when hee left his goodnesse, thou didst not be­reaue him of his skill? Still thou [Page 52] wouldst haue him an Angell, though an euill one, And thou knowest how to ordaine his crait to thine owne glory; I do not de­sire thee to abate of his subtilty, but to make me wise; Let me beg it without presumption, make me wiser then Adam; euen thine image which he bore, made him not (through his owne weaknes) wise enough to obey thee; thou offeredst him al fruits, and restrai­nedst but one; Satan offered him but one and restrained not the rest; when he chose rather to bee at Satans feeding then thine, it was iust with thee to turne him out of thy gates, with a curse: why shouldest thou feede a rebell at thine owne boord?

And yet wee transgresse daily, [Page 53] and thou shuttest not heauen a­gainst vs: how is it that wee find more mercy then our forefa­thers? His strength is worthy of seuerity, our weaknesse finds pit­tie. That God from whose face he fled in the garden, now makes him with shame to flye out of the garden: those Angels that should haue kept him, now keep the gates of Paradise against him; It is not so easie to recouer hap­pinesse, as to keepe it, or leese it: Yea the same cause that droue man from Paradise, hath also withdrawne paradise from the world.

That fiery sword did not de­fend it against those waters wherwith the sins of men drow­ned [Page 54] the glory of that place: nei­ther now do I care to seek where that paradise was which we lost, I know where that Paradise is, which we must care to seeke; and hope to finde; As man was the image of God, so was that earth­ly Paradise an image of heauen; both the images are defaced, both the first paterns are eternall: Adam was in the first, and stayed not: In the second, is the second Adam which saide, This day shalt thou be with mee in Paradise. There was that chosen vessell, & heard, and saw what could not bee ex­pressed, by how much the third heauen exceeds the richest earth, so much doth that Paradise wher­to wee aspire exceed that which we haue lost.

Cain and Abell.

LOoke now (O my soule) vp­on the two first brethren, per­haps twins; and wonder at their contrary dispositions and estates: If the priuiledges of nature had beene worth any thing, the first borne child should not haue bin a reprobate.

Now that wee may ascribe all to free grace, the elder is a mur­derer, the yonger a saint, though goodnesse may bee repaired in our selues, yet it cannot bee pro­pagated to ours: Now might Adam see the image of him­selfe in Cain, for after his owne i­mage begot hee him, Adam slew [Page 56] his posterity, Cain his brother, we are too like one another in that wherein we are vnlike to God: E­uen the cleerest grain sends forth that chaffe from which it was fan­ned, ere the sowing: yet is this Cain a possession, the same Eue that mistooke the fruit of the gar­den, mistooke also the fruit of her owne body, her hope deceiued her in both; so, many good names are ill bestowed; and our com­fortable expectations in earthly things do not seldome disappoint vs, doubtlesse their education was holy; For Adam though in Para­dise hee could not bee innocent, yet was a good man out of Para­dise; his sinne and fall now made him circumspect, and since hee saw that his act had bereaued [Page 57] them of that image of God which he once had for them, hee could not but labour by all holy inde­uours to repayre it in them. That so his care might make a mends for his trespasse: How plaine is it, that euen good breeding cannot alter destiny? That which is croo­ked can none make straight, who would thinke that brethren, and but two brethren: should not loue each other, Dispersed loue growes weake, and fewnesse of obiects vseth to vnite affections: If but two brothers bee left aliue of many, they thinke that the loue of all the rest should suruiue in them; and now the beames of their affection are so much the hoter, because they reflect mutu­ally in a right line vppon each o­ther: [Page 58] yet behold, here are but two brothers in a world; and one is the butcher of the other. Who can wonder at dissentions a­mongst thousands of brethren, when he sees so deadly oppositi­on betwixt two, the first roots of brotherhood: who can hope to liue plausibly and securely a­mongst so many Cains, when hee sees one Cain the death of one A­bel? The same diuell that set enmi­ty betwixt man and god; sets en­mity betwixt man and man, and yet God said; I will put enmity betweene thy seed and her seed, our hatred of the serpent and his seed is from God: Their hatred of the holy seed is from the serpent; Behold here at once, in one per­son the seed of the woman and of [Page 59] the serpent, Cains naturall parts are of the woman; his vitious qualities of the serpent; The wo­man gaue him to bee a brother, the serpent to be a manslayer, all vncharitablenesse, all quarrels are of one author: we cannot enter­taine wrath, and not giue place to the Diuell. Certainely, so deadly an act must needs bee deepely grounded.

What then was the occasion of this capitall malice? Abels sacri­fice is accepted; what was this to Cain? Cains is reiected; what could Abel remedy this? Oh enuie; the corrasiue of all ill minds; and the root of all desperate actions: the same cause that moued Satan to tempt the first man, to destroy [Page 60] himselfe, and his posterity, the same moues the second man to destroy the third:

It should haue beene Cains ioy to see his brother accepted; It should haue bene his sorrow, to see that himselfe had deserued a reiection, his brothers example should haue excited, and directed him: Could Abel haue stayed Gods fire from descending? Or shold he (if he could) reiect Gods acceptation, and displease his ma­ker, to content a brother? Was Cain euer the farther from a bles­sing, because his brother obtai­ned mercy? How proud and foo­lish is malice? which growes thus mad, for no other cause, but be­cause God, or Abel is not lesse [Page 61] good; It hath beene an olde and happy danger to be holy; Indif­ferent actions must bee carefull to auoide offence; But I care not what diuell or what Cain bee an­gry that I doe good, or receiue good.

There was neuer any nature without enuy; Euery man is born a Cain; hating that goodnes in a­nother, which hee neglected in himselfe; There was neuer enuie that was not bloody; for if it eat not anothers hart, it will eat our owne, but vnlesse it be restrained it will surely feed it selfe with the blood of others, oft times in act, alwaies in affection. And that God which (in good) accepts the will for the deed, condemns the [Page 62] will for the deed in euill. If there be an euill heart, there will bee an euill eye, and if both these, there will be an euill hand

How earely did Martyrdome come into the world? The first man that died, died for religion; who dare measure Gods loue by outward euents, when hee sees wicked Cain standing ouer blee­ding Abel; whose sacrifice was first accepted, and now himselfe is sa­crificed. Death was denounced to man as a curse; yet behold it first lights vppon a Saint, how soone was it altered by the mercy of that iust hand which inflicted it? If death had beene euill, and life good; Cain had beene slaine, and Abel had suruiued, now that it be­gins [Page 63] with him that God loues, O death where is thy sting?

Abel sayes nothing, his blood cries: Euery drop of innocent blood hath a tongue, and is not onely vocall, but importunate, what a noise then did the blood of my Sauiour make in heauen, who was himselfe the shepheard and the sacrifice; The man that was offered, and the God to whome it was offered; The spirit that herd both saies, it spake bet­ter things then the blood of A­bel; Abels blood called for reuenge his for mercy; Abels pleaded his owne innocency, his, the satisfa­ction for all the beleeuing world: Abels procured Cains punishment, his, freed all repentant souls from [Page 64] punishment, better things in­deed, then the blood of Abel. Bet­ter, and therfore that which Abels blood said, was good: It is good that God should bee auenged of sinners, Execution of iustice vpon offenders, is no lesse good, then rewards of goodnes.

No sooner doth Abels blood speake vnto God, then God speaks to Cain; There is no wicked man to whom God speakes not, if not to his eare, yet to his heart: what speech was this? Not an ac­cusation, but an inquiry, yet such an enquiry as would infer an ac­cusation, God loues to haue a sinner accuse himselfe, and there­fore hath he set his deputy in the brest of man, neither doth God [Page 65] loue this, more then nature ab­hors it: Cain answers stubbornly: The very name of Abel wounds him no lesse, then his hand had wounded Abel: Consciences that are without remorse, are not without horror: wickednes makes men desperate; the murderer is angry with God, as of late for ac­cepting his brothers oblation, so now for listening to his blood.

And now he dares answer God with a question, Am I my bro­thers keeper? where he shold haue said, am not I my brothers mur­derer. Behold he scorneth to keep whom he feared not to kill, Good duties are base and troublesome to wicked minds, whiles euen vi­olences of euill are pleasant, Yet [Page 66] this miscreant which neither had grace to auoid his sinne, nor to confesse it, now that he is conuin­ced of sinne, and cursed for it, how he howleth, how he exclaimeth? Hee that cares not for the act of his sinne, shall care for the smart of his punishment. The damned are weary of their torments, but in vaine. How great a madnesse is it to complaine too late; He that would not keepe his brother, is cast out from the protection of God; he that feared not to kill his brother, feares now, that whoso­euer meets him will kill him. The troubled conscience proiecteth fearefull things, and sin makes e­uen cruell men cowardly: God saw it was too much fauour for him to dye: he therfore wils that [Page 67] which Cain wils; Cain would liue; It is yeelded him, but for a curse, how oft doth God heare sinners in anger? Hee shall liue, banished from God, carying his hell in his bosome, and the brand of Gods vengeance in his forehead, God reiects him, the earth repines at him, men abhorre him; himselfe now wishes that death which he feared, and no man dare pleasure him with a murder; how bitter is the end of sin, yea without end; still Cain finds that he killed him­selfe more then his brother, wee should neuer sin if our foresight were but as good as our sence; The issue of sin would appeare a thousand times more horrible, then the act is Pleasant.

The Deluge.

THe world was grown so foul with sin, that God saw it was time to wash it with a flood. And so close did wickednes cleaue to the authors of it, that when they were washt to nothing, yet it would not off, yea so deepe did it sticke in the very graine of the earth; that God saw it meet to let it soke long vnder the waters. So vnder the Law, the very vessels that had touched vncleane water must either be rinced, or broken, Mankind began but with one, and yet he that saw the first man, liued to see the earth peopled with a world of men, yet men [Page 69] grew not so fast as wickednes, one man could soone and easily mul­tiply a thousand sins, neuer man had so many children, so that when there were men enough to store the earth, there were as ma­ny sins as would reach vp to hea­uen, whereupon the waters came downe from heauen, and swelled vp to heauen againe, If there had not been so deepe a deluge of sin, there had beene none of the wa­ters: From whence then was this superfluity of iniquity? Whence, but from the vnequall yoke with Infidels? These mariages did not beget men, so much as wicked­nesse; from hence religious hus­bands both lost their piety, and gained a rebellious and godlesse generation.

[Page 70] That which was the first occa­sion of sinne, was the occasion of the increase of sinne, A woman seduced Adam, women betray these sons of God, the beauty of the apple betrayd the woman, the beauty of these women be­trayd this holy seed, Eue saw and lusted, so did they, this also was a forbidden fruit, they lusted, ta­sted, sinned, died; the most sins begin at the eyes, by them com­monly Satan creeps into the hart that soule can neuer bee in safety that hath not couenanted with his eyes.

God needed not haue giuen these men any warning of his iudgement, They gaue him no warning of their sins, no respite: [Page 71] yet that God might approue his mercies to the very wicked; hee giues them an hundred & twen­ty yeares respite of repenting, how loath is God to strike, that threats so long, hee that delights in reuenge, surprises his aduersa­ry, whereas hee that giues long warnings desires to be preuented if we were not wilfull, we should neuer smart.

Neither doth hee giue them time onely, but a faithful teacher. It is an happy thing when hee that teacheth others is righteous; Noahs hand taught them as much as his tongue. His businesse in building the Arke was a reall ser­mon to the world, wherein at once were taught mercy and life [Page 72] to the beleuers; and to the rebel­lious destruction.

Mee thinks I see those mon­strous sonnes of Lamech comming to Noah, and asking him, what he meanes by that strange worke; whether hee meane to saile vpon the dry land. To whom when he reports Gods purpose, and his, they go away laughing at his i­dlenes, and tell one another, in sport, that too much holinesse hath made him mad: yet cannot they al flout Noah out of his faith, he preaches and builds and fini­shes. Doubtles more hands went to this work than his: many a one wrought vpon the Arke, which yet was not saued in the Arke. Our outward works cannot saue [Page 73] vs without our faith, wee may helpe to saue others, and perish our selues: what a wonder of mer­cy is this that I here see? One poor family called out of a world, and as it were eight graines of corne fanned from a whole barne ful of chaffe: one hypocrite was saued with the rest, for Noahs sake, not one righteous man was swept a­way for companie; For these few was the earth preserued still vn­der the waters; and all kinds of creatures vpon the waters; which else had been all destroyed. Still the world stands, for their sakes, for whom it was preserued; Else fire should consume that, which could not be cleansed by water.

This difference is strange; I see [Page 74] the sauagest of all creatures, lions tygers; beares by an instinct from God come to seeke the Arke, (as we see Swine foreseeing a storme, run home crying for shelter; men I see not; Reason once debauched is worse then brutishnesse: God hath vse even of these fierce and cruell beasts, and glorie by them, even they being created for man, must liue by him, though to his punishment: how greatly do they offer & submit themselues to their preseruer; renewing that obey­sance to this repairer of the world which, they before sin, yeelded to him that first stored the world: He that shut them into the Arke when they were entred, shut their mouths also while they did enter. The Lions faune vpon No­ah, [Page 75] and Daniel; What hart cannot the maker of them mollifie?

The vnclean beasts God would haue to liue, the cleane to multi­plie; and therefore hee sends to Noah seauen of the cleane, of the vncleane two: He knew the one would annoy man with their multitude, the other would in­rich him; Those things are wor­thie of most respect which are of most vse.

But why seven? Surely that God that created seuen daies in the week, and made one for him­selfe; did heere preserue of seuen cleane beasts, one for himselfe; for Sacrifice: He giues vs sixe for one in earthly things, that in spi­rituall [Page 76] we should be all for him.

Now the day is come, all the guests are entred, the Ark is shut, and the windowes of heauen o­pened: I doubt not but many of those scoffers, when they saw the violence of the waters descen­ding, and ascending, according to Noahs prediction, came wa­ding middle-deep vnto the Ark, and importunately craued that admittance, which they once de­nied. But now, as they formerly reiected God, so are they iustly reiected of God: Ere vengeance begin, repentance is seasonable; but if iudgement bee once gone out, wee cry too late; while the Gospell solicites vs, the doores of the Arke are open; if wee neglect the time of grace, in vaine shal we [Page 77] seeke it with teares, God holds it no mercy to pitty the obstinate. Others more bolde then they, hope to ouer-runne the iudge­ment, and climbing vp to the hye mountaines looke downe vppon the waters, with more hope then feare: and now when they see their hils become Ilands, they climbe vp into the tallest trees there with palenes and horror at once looke for death, & study to auoid it, whom the waues ouer­take at last halfe dead with famin and halfe with fear. Lo now from the tops of the mountaines they descrie the Ark floting vpon the waters, and beholde with enuy that which before they beheld with scorne.

In vain doth he flie whom God [Page 78] pursues. There is no way to flie from his iudgements, but to flie to his mercy by repenting. The faith of the righteous cannot bee so much derided, as their successe is magnified: How securely doth Noah ride out this vprore of hea­uen, earth, and waters? He heares the powring downe of the raine aboue his head, the shrieking of men, and roaring, and bellowing of beasts, on both sides him, the raging and threats of the waues vnder him, hee saw the miserable shifts of the distressed vnbelee­uers; and in the meane time sits quietly in his drye Cabin, neither feeling nor fearing euill, he knew that he which owed the waters, would steere him, that hee who shut him in, would preserue him. [Page 79] How happy a thing is faith? What a quiet safety, what an hea­uenly peace doth it worke in the soule, in the midst of all the inun­dations of euill?

Now when God had fetcht a­gaine all the life which he had gi­uen to his vnworthy creatures, and reduced the world vnto his first forme wherein waters were ouer the face of the earth, it was time for a renouation of al things to succeed this destruction; To haue continued this deluge long, had beene to punish Noah, that was righteous; After fourty daies therefore, the heauens cleare vp, after 150. the waters sink downe: How soone is God weary of punishing, which is neuer wea­ry [Page 80] of blessing; yet may not the Arke rest suddenly, If we did not stay som-while vnder Gods hand we should not know how sweete his mercy is, and how great our thankfulnesse should bee, The Arke though it was Noahs sort a­gainst the waters, yet it was his prison, he was safe in it, but pent vp; hee that gaue him life by it, now thinks time to giue him li­berty out of it.

God doth not reueale all things to his best seruants, beholde hee that tolde Noah 120. yeares be­fore, what day he should go in­to the Arke, yet foretels him not now in the Arke what day the Arke should rest vpon the hils, and hee should goe forth; Noah [Page 81] therfore sends out his intelligen­cers, the Rauen, and the Doue: whose wings in that vaporous ayre might easily descry further then his sight: The Rauen of quicke sent, of grosse [...]eede, of tough constitution, no foule was so fit for discouery; the likeliest things alwaies succeed not; Hee neither will venter farre into that solitary world for feare of want, nor yet come into the Arke for loue of liberty; but houers about in vncertainties. How many car­nall minds flye out of the Arke of Gods Church; and imbrace the present world: rather choosing to feed vpon the vnsauory carcasses of sinfull pleasures; then to be re­strained within the straite lists of Christian obedience.

[Page 82] The Doue is sent forth, a foule, both swift and simple. She like a true citizen of the Arke, returnes; and brings faithfull notice; of the continuance of the waters by her restlesse and empty returne; by her Oliue leafe, of the abatement: how woorthy are those messen­gers to be welcome, which with innocence in their liues, bring glad tidings of peace, and saluati­on in their mouthes?

Noah reioyces, and beleeues; yet still hee waites seuen daies more: It is not good to deuoure the fa­uours of God too greedily; but so take them in, that wee may di­gest them: oh strong faith of No­ah that was not weary with this delay; some man would haue so [Page 83] longed for the open ayre after so long closenes, that vpon the first notice of safety hee would haue vncouered, and voyded the Ark; Noah stayes seuen daies ere hee will open; and well neere two moneths ere hee will forsake the Arke; and not then, vnlesse God that commanded to enter, had bidden him depart. There is no action good without faith: no faith without a word. Happy is that man which in all things (neglecting the counsels of flesh & blood) depends vpon the commis­sion of his maker.

Noah.

NO sooner is NOAH come out of the Ark, but hee builds an Al­tar: not an house for himselfe, but an Altar to the Lord: Our faith will euer teach vs to preferre God to our selues; delay­ed thankfulnesse is not woorthy of acceptation, Of those few crea­tures that are least, God must haue some; they are all his, yet his [Page 92] goodnesse will haue man know, that it was he, for whose sake they were preserued; It was a priui­ledge to those very bruit crea­tures that they were saued from the waters, to be offered vp in fire vnto God; what a fauour is it to men to bee reserued from com­mon destructions, to be sacrificed to their maker, and redeemer.

Lo this little fire of Noah, through the vertue of his faith, purged the world, and ascended vp into those heuens from which the waters fell, and caused a glori­ous raine-bow to appeare therin for his security: All the sins of the former world were not so vnsa­uory vnto God, as this smoke was pleasant. No perfume can bee so [Page 93] sweete as the holy obedience of the faithfull. Now God that was before annoyed with the ill sauor of sinne, smels a sweet sauor of rest: Behold heere a new and se­cond rest: First God rested from making the world, now hee rests from destroying it: Euen while we cease not to offend, hee ceases from a publique reuenge.

His worde was enough; yet withall hee giues a signe; which may speake the trueth of his pro­mise to the very eies of men, thus he doth still in his blessed Sacra­ments, which are as reall words to the soule: The raine-bow is the pledge of our safety; which euen naturally signifies the ende of a showre; all the signes of Gods in­stitution [Page 94] are proper, and fignifi­cant.

But who would looke after all this to haue found righteous No­ah the Father of the new world, lying drunken in his tent? Who could thinke that wine should o­uerthrow him that was preserued from the waters? That hee who could not bee tainted with the sinfull examples of the former world, should begin the example of a new sinne of his owne? What are wee men, if wee bee but our selues? While God vpholds vs, no temptation can moue vs, when he leaues vs, no temptation is too weake to ouerthrow vs? What li­uing man had euer so noble proofes of the mercy, of the iu­stice [Page 95] of God? Mercy vpon him­selfe, iustice vpon others: What man had so gratious approbation from his maker: behold hee of whom in an vncleane world God said. Thee onely haue I found righteous, proues now vncleane, when the world was purged: The preacher of righteousnesse vnto the former age, the King, Priest, and Prophet of the world renued is the first that renues the sins of that world which he had reproo­ued, and which he saw condem­ned for sinne: Gods best children haue no fence for sinnes of infir­mitie: Which of the Saints haue not once done that, wherof they are ashamed? God that lets vs fall knows how to make as good vse of the sins of his holy ones as of [Page 96] their obedience: If wee had not such patterns, who could choose but despaire at the sight of his sinnes?

Yet we find Noah drunken but once, one act can no more make a good heart vnrighteous, then a trade of sinne can stand with re­generation, but when I looke to the effect of this sin, I can not but blush and wonder; Lo this sinne, is worse then sinne; Other sinnes moue shame but hide it, this dis­playes it to the world, Adam had no sooner sinned, but he saw and abhord his owne nakednes, see­king to hide it euen with bushes.

Noah had no sooner sinned, but hee discouers his nakednesse, [Page 97] & hath not so much rule o [...] him­self, as to be ashamed, one houres drunkennes bewraies that which more then 600. years sobriety had modestly concealed; he that giues himself to wine, is not his owne: what shall we thinke of this vice, which robs a man of himselfe, and layes a beast in his roome? Noahs nakednes is seene in wine, it is no vnusuall quality in this excesse, to disclose secrets; drunkennes doth both make imperfections, & shew those wee haue, to others eyes, so would God haue it, that we might be double asham'd, both of those weaknesses which we discouer, & of that weakenes which mooued vs to discouer. Noah is vncoue­red; but in the midst of his owne tent: It had beene sinfull though [Page 98] no man had seene it: vnknowne sins haue their guilt and shame, and are iustly attended with knowne punishments. Vngrati­ous Cham saw it and laughed, his Fathers shame should haue been his; the deformity of those parts from which hee had his beeing; should haue begotten in him a secret horror, and deiection, how many gracelesse men make sport at the causes of their humiliation. Twise had Noah giuen him life, yet neither the name of a Father, and preseruer, nor age, nor vertue could shield him from the con­tempt of his owne.

I see that euen Gods Arke may nourish monsters▪ some filthy toades may lie vnder the stones [Page 99] of the Temple, God preserues some men in iudgement, better had it beene for Cham to haue pe­rished in the waters, then to liue vnto his Fathers curse. Not con­tent to be a witnesse of this filthy sight; he goes on to bee a proclai­mer of it. Sinne doth ill in the eye but worse in the tongue: As all sin is a work of darkenes, so it should bee buried in darkenesse. The re­port of sin is oft-times as ill, as the commission; for it can neuer bee blazoned without vncharitable­nesse; seldome without infection; Oh the vnnaturall and more then Chammish impiety of those sons which reioyce to publish the na­kednesse of their spirituall parents euen to their enemies.

Yet it was well for Noah that [Page 100] Cham could tell it to none but his owne; and those, gracious and dutifull sonnes. Our shame is the lesse if none know our faults but our friends. Behold how loue co­uereth sinnes, these good sonnes are so farre from going forward to see their fathers shame, that they goe backeward to hide it, The cloake is laide on both their shoulders, they both go back with quall paces, and dare not so much as looke backe lest they should vnwillingly see the cause of their shame, and will rather aduenture to stumble at their fathers body then to see his nakednesse: How did it greeue them to thinke that they which had so oft come to their holy father with reuerence must now in reuerence turn their [Page 101] backes vpon him; and that they must now cloath him in pitty, which had so often clothed them in loue: And which addes more to their duty, they couered him, and saide nothing. This modest sorrow is their praise, and our ex­ample; The sins of those wee loue and honor, we must heare of with indignation; fearfully and vnwil­lingly beleeue, acknowledge with griefe and shame, hide with ho­nest excuses, and bury in si­lence.

How equal a regard is this both of piety and disobedience? be­cause Cham sinned against his Fa­ther, therfore he shall be plagued in his children; Iapheth is dutifull to his Father, and finds it in his [Page 102] posterity. Because Cham was an ill sonne to his Father, therefore his sonnes shall be seruans to his bre­thren, because Iapheth set his shoul­der to Sems, to beare the cloake of shame, therfore shall Iapheth dwel in the tents of Sem; partaking with him in blessing, as in duty. When we doe but what wee ought; yet God is thankefull to vs; and re­wards that which wee should sin if we did not: who could euer yet shew mee a man rebelliously vn­dutifull to his parents that hath prospered in himselfe, and his seed?

Babel.

HOW soone are men and sins multiplied? within one hun­dred yeeres the world is as full of both, as if there had beene no de­luge. Though men could not but see the fearefull monuments of the ruine of their Ancestors, yet how quickly had they forgotten a floud? Good Noah liued to see the world both populous, and wicked again. And doubtles oft-times repented to haue beene the preseruer of some whom hee saw to traduce the vices of the for­mer world, to the renewed: It could not but grieue him to see the destroyed giants reuiue out [Page 104] of his own loyns, and to see them of his flesh and bloud tirannise o­uer themselues. In his sight Nim­rod casting off the awe of his holy grandfather, grew imperious and cruell, and made his owne kins­men seruants. How easie a thing it is for a great spirit to bee the head of a faction; when euen bre­thren will stoop to seruitude; And now when men are combined to­gether, euill and presumptuous motions finde incouragement in multitudes; and each man takes a pride in seeming forwardest, wee are the cheerfuller in good when wee haue the assistance of com­pany, much more in sinning, by how much we are more prone to euill then good. It was a proud word (Come let vs build vs a ci­tie [Page 105] and a towre whose top may reach to heauen.)

They were newly come down from the hils vnto the plains, and now thinke of raising vp an hill of building in the plaine, when their tents were pitched vpon the mountains of Armenia they were as neere to Heauen as their towre could make them; but their am­bition must needs aspire to an height of their owne raising. Pride is euer discontented; and stil seeks matter of boasting in her owne workes.

How fondly doe men reckon without God, Come let vs build; As if there had beene no stop but in their own will: As if both earth [Page 106] and time had beene theirs: Still doe all naturall men build Babell; forecasting their owne plots so resolutely, as if there were no po­wer to countermand them: It is iust with God that peremptory determinations seldome prosper: Whereas those things which are fearefully and modestly vnderta­ken, commonly succeed.

Let vs build vs a city, if they had taken God with them it had bin commendable, establishing of so­cieties is pleasing to him that is the God of order: But a towre whose top may reach to Heauen, was a shameful arrogance, an im­pious presumption; who would thinke that wee little Ants that creepe vpon this earth should [Page 107] thinke of climbing vp to heauen, by multiplying of earth?

Pride euer looks at highest, the first man would know as God, these would dwell as God; coue­tousnesnesse and ambition know no limits. And what if they had reacht vp to heauen, some hils are as high as they could hope to be, and yet are no whit the better; no place alters the condition of nature, an Angell is glorious, though hee bee vpon earth; and man is but earth though he be a­boue the clouds: The neerer they had beene to heauen the more subiect should they haue been to the violences of heauen; to thun­ders, lightnings, and those other higher inflammations, what had [Page 108] beene but to thrust themselues into the hands of the reuenger of all wicked insolences? God loues that heauen should bee lookt at, and affected with all humble de­sires, with the holy ambitions of faith, not with the proud imagi­nations of our owne atchieue­ments.

But wherefore was all this? Not that they loued so much to bee neighbours to heauen, as to be fa­mous vpon earth; It was not com­modity that was heere sought, not safety, but glory: whither doth not thirst of fame cary men? whether in good or euil: It makes them seek to climbe to heauen, it makes them not fear to run down headlong to hell: Euen in the best things desire of praise stands in [Page 109] competition with conscience, and brags to haue the more clients. One builds a Temple to Diana in hope of glory, intending it for one of the great wonders of the world; another in hope of fame burnes it. Hee is a rare man that hath not some Babel of his owne, whereon he bestowes paines and cost, onely to be talked of. If they had done better things in a vain-glorious purpose; their act had beene accursed; if they had built houses to God, if they had giuen almes to men, if they had sacrifi­ced, prayed, liued well; the intent poisons the action; but now both the act and the purpose are e­qually vain, and the issue is as vain as either.

God hath a speciall indignati­on [Page 110] at pride aboue all sins, and wil crosse our endeuours not for that they are euil (what hurt could be in laying one bricke vppon ano­ther?) but for that they are proud­ly vndertaken: Hee could haue hindered the laying of the first stone; and might as easily haue made the trench for the founda­tion, the graue of the builders: But hee loues to see what wick­ed men would doe; and to let fooles runne themselues out of breath; what monument should they haue had of their own mad­nesse, and his powerfull interrup­tion, if the walls had risen to no height? To stop them then in the midst of their course, he meddles not with either their hands, or their feet, but their tongues; not [Page 111] by pulling them out, not by loo­sing their strings, not by making them say nothing, but by teching them to say too much: Here is no­thing varied but the sound of let­ters, euen this frustrates the work, and befooles the workmen: How easie is it for God tenne thousand waies to correct and forestall the greatest proiects of men? Hee that taught Adam the first words, taught them words that neuer were. One cals for bricke, the o­ther looks him in the face, and wonders what hee commands, and how and why he speaks such words, as were neuer heard, and in stead thereof brings him mor­ter, returning him an answer as little vnderstood, ech chides with other, expressing his choler so, as [Page 112] hee onely can vnderstand him­selfe: From heat they fall to quiet intreaties, but still with the same successe. At first euery man thinks his fellow mocks him, but now perceiuing this serious confusion their onely answere was silence, and ceasing; they could not come together, for no man could call them to be vnderstood; & if they had assembled nothing could be determined, because one could neuer attaine to the others pur­pose: No, they could not haue the honour of a generall dismissi­on, but each man leaues his trow­ell and station more like a foole then hee vndertooke it, so com­monly actions begun in glory, shut vp in shame. All externall actions depend vpon the tongue, [Page 113] No man can know others mind, if this bee not the interpreter; hence as there were many toungs giuen to stay the building of Ba­bel, so there were as many giuen to build the new Ierusalem, the Euangelicall Church. How deare hath Babel cost all the world? At the first when there was but one language, men did spend their time in Arts; (so was it requisit at the first setling of the world, and so came early to perfection) but now we stay so long (of necessi­ty) vpon the shel of tongues, that we can hardly haue time to chew the sweet kernell of knowledge: Surely men would haue growne too proud if there had beene no Babel: It fals out oft-times that one sinne is a remedy of a greater. [Page 114] Diuision of tongues must needs slacken any worke: Multiplicitie of language had not bin giuen by the Holy ghost for a blessing to the Church, if the world had not beene before possessed with mul­tiplicitie of languages, for a pu­nishment: Hence it is that the building of our Sion rises no fa­ster, because our tongues are di­uided; Happy were the Church of God if we al spake but one lan­guage: Whiles wee differ, wee can build nothing but Babel; diffe­rence of tongues caused their Ba­bel to cease, but it builds ours.

Abraham.

IT was fit that he which should be the father and pattern of the faithful shold be throughly tried for in a set copie euery fault is im­portant, and may proue a rule of error: of ten trials which Abraham passed; the last was the sorest: No sonne of Abraham can hope to es­cape temptations, while hee sees that bosome in which hee desires to rest, so assaulted with difficul­ties. Abraham must leaue his coun­trey and kinred, and liue among strangers; The calling of God ne­uer leaues men, where it finds them, the earth is the Lords; and all places are alike to the wise and [Page 116] faithfull: If Chaldea had not been grossely idolatrous; Abraham had not left it; no bond must tie vs to the danger of infection:

But whether must he go? To a place he knew not, to men that knew not him: it is enough com­fort to a good man, wheresoeuer he is, that hee is acquainted with God, we are neuer out of our way while wee follow the calling of God. Neuer any man lost by his obedience to the highest: because Abraham yeelded, God giues him the possession of Canaan: I wonder more at his faith in taking this possession, then in leauing his owne; Beholde Abraham takes possession for that seed which he had not; which in nature hee was [Page 117] not like to haue; of that land wher­of hee should not haue one foot, wherein his seede should not bee setled of almost fiue hundred yeres after, the power of faith can preuent time; and make future things present; If wee be the true sonnes of Abraham we haue alrea­dy (while wee soiourne heere on earth) the possession of our land of promise: while wee seeke our country, we haue it.

Yet euen Canaan doth not af­foord him bread, which yet hee must beleeue shall flow with milk and hony to his seede: sense must yeeld to faith, wo were vs, if wee must iudge of our future estate by the present, Aegypt giues releefe to Abraham, when Canaan cannot [Page 118] In outward things Gods enemies may fare better, then his friends: Thrise had Aegypt preserued the Church of God, in Abraham, in Iaacob, in Christ; God oft-times makes vse of the world for the be­hoofe of his; though without their thanks; as contrarily, he vses the wicked for scourges to his own inheritance, and burns them; because in his good they intended euill.

But what a change is this? Hi­therto hath Sarah bene Abrahams wife, now AEpypt hath made her his sister; feare hath turned him from an husband to a brother; No strength of faith can exclude some doubtings: God hath said, I will make thee a great nation, A­braham [Page 119] saith, The Egyptians will kill me: He that liued by his faith, yet shrinketh, and sinneth. How vainely shall we hope to beleeue without al feare, and to liue with­out infirmities? Some little asper­sions of vnbeleefe cannot hinder the praise and power of faith; A­braham beleeued, and it was im­puted to him for righteousnesse; Hee that through inconsiderate­nesse doubted twise of his owne life, doubts not of the life of his seed, euen from the dead and dry wombe of Sarah, yet was it more difficult that his posterity should Sarah, then that Sarahs husband should liue in AEgypt: This was aboue nature, yet he beleeues it; Sometimes the beleeuer stickes at easie tryalls, and yet breakes [Page 120] through the greatest temptations without feare: Abraham was olde ere this promise and hope of a sonne; and stil the older, the more vncapable; yet God makes him wait twenty fiue yeares for per­formance, no time is long to faith which hath learned to differre hopes without fainting and irke­somnesse.

Abraham heard this newes from the Angell, and laughed, Sarah heard it, and laughed; they did not more agree in their desire, then differ in their affection; A­braham laughed for ioy; Sarah for distrust, Abraham laughed because he beleeued it would be so; Sarah because she beleeued it could not be: the same act varies in the man­ner [Page 121] of doing, and the intention of the doer, yet Sarah laught but within her selfe and is bewraied: How God can find vs out in se­cret sins; how easily did she now think, that he which could know of her inward laughter, could know of her conception, and now she that laughed and belee­ued not, beleeueth and feareth.

What a liuely patterne doe I see in Abraham & Sarah, of a strong faith and weake, of strong in A­braham and weake in Sarah: Shee to make God good of his worde to Abraham, knowing her owne barrennesse, substitutes an Hagar, and in an ambition of seed, per­swades to Poligamy. Abraham had neuer looked to obtaine the [Page 122] promise by any other then a bar­ren wombe, if his owne wife had not importunde him to take ano­ther: when our owne apparent meanes faile, weake faith is put to shifts; and proiects strange deui­ses of her owne to attaine her end. She will rather conceiue by ano­ther wombe then bee childlesse: when she heares of an impossibi­lity to nature, she doubreth, and yet hides her diffidence; and when she must beleeue, feareth, because she did distrust: Abraham heares and beleeues and expects and re­ioyces; he saith not, I am old and weake; Sarah is olde and barren, where are the many nations that shall come from these withered loynes? It is enough to him that God hath said it, he sees not the [Page 123] meanes, he sees the promise. He knew that God would rather raise him vp seede from the very stones that hee trod vpon, then himselfe should want a large and happy issue.

There is no faith where there is neither meanes or hopes. Diffi­culties and impossibilities are the true obiects of beleefe: Hereupon God ads to his name that which he would fetch from his loynes, and made his name as ample as his posterity: neuer any man was a looser by beleeuing: Faith is e­uer recompensed with glory.

Neither is Abraham content only to wait for God, but to smart for him; God bids him cut his [Page 124] owne flesh; he willingly sacrifices this parcell of his skin and blood, to him that was the owner of all: How glad he is to carry this pain­full marke of the loue of his crea­tor. How forward to seale this co­uenant with blood betwixt God and him, not regarding the sore­nesse of his body in comparison of the confirmation of his soule; The wound was not so grieuous as the signification was comforta­ble. For herein hee saw that from his loynes should come that bles­sed seed which should purge his soule from all corruption: well is that part of vs lost, which may giue assurance of the saluation of the whole; our faith is not yet sound, if it haue not taught vs to neglect paine for God, and more [Page 125] to loue his Sacraments, then our owne flesh.

Isaac sacrificed.

BVt all these are but easie tasks of faith, all ages haue stood a­mazed at the next: Not knowing whether they should more won­der at Gods command, or Abra­hams obedience, many yeeres had that good Patriarch waited for his Isaac; now at last hee hath ioy­fully receiued him, and that with this gratious acclamation. In Isaac shall thy seed bee called, and all nations blessed. Behold the son of his age, the son of his loue, the son of his [Page 126] expectation, hee that might not indure a mocke from his brother, must now indure the knife of his Father; Take thine onely sonne Isaac whome thou louest and get thee to the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering.

Neuer any gold was tried in so hot a fire. Who but Abraham would not haue expostulated with God? What? Doth the God of mercies now beginne to delight in blood? Is it possible that murder should become pie­tie? Or if thou wilt needes take pleasure in an humane sacrifice, is there none but Isaac fit for thine Altar, none but Abraham to offer him? Shall these hands destroy the fruit of mine owne loines? Can I not be faithfull vnlesse I be [Page 127] vnnaturall? Or if I must needes be the monster of all parents, will not Ismael yet bee accepted? O God where is thy mercie, where is thy iustice? Hast thou giuen me but one only sonne, and must I now slay him? Why did I wait so long for him? Why didst thou giue him me? Why didst thou promise mee a blessing in him? What will the heathen say when they shall heare of this infamous massacre? How can thy name, and my profession escape a per­petuall blasphemie? With what face shall I looke vpon my wife Sarah, whose sonne I haue mur­dered▪ How shall shee intertaine the executioner of Isaac? Or who will beleeue that I did this from thee? How shall not all the world [Page 128] spit at his holy cruelty, and say there goes the man that cut the throat of his owne son. Yet if hee were an vngratious or rebellious child, his deserts might giue some colour to this violence, but to lay hands on so deare, so dutifull, so hopefull a sonne, is vncapable of all pretences.

But grant that thou which art the God of nature maist either al­ter or neglect it, what shall I say to the truth of thy promises? Can thy iustice admit contradictions; can thy decrees be changeable, canst thou promise & disappoint? Can these two stand together, I­saac shall liue to bee the father of nations; and Isaac shall now dye by the hand of his Father? when [Page 129] Isaac is once gone where is my seed, where is my blessing? O God if thy commands and purposes be capable of alteration, alter this bloody sentence, and let thy first word stand.

These would haue beene the thoughts of a weake heart, But God knew that he spake to an A­braham, and Abraham knew that he had to doe with a God: Faith had taught him not to argue, but o­bey; In an holy wilfulnesse hee either forgets nature, or despises her, hee is sure that what God commands is good, that what he promises, is infallible, and there­fore is carelesse of the means, and trusts to the end.

In matters of God, whosoeuer [Page 130] consults with flesh and blood shall neuer offer vp his Isaac, to God, there needs no counsellor when we know God is the com­mander; here is neither grudging nor deliberating, nor delaying: His faith would not suffer him so much as to be sorry for that hee must do. Sarah her selfe may not know of Gods charge, and her husbands purpose, lest her affe­ction should haue ouercome her faith; lest her weakenesse now grown importunat, should haue said, Disobey God any die. That which he must do, he will do, he that hath learned not to regarde the life of his son, had lerned not to regard the sorrow of his wise. It is too much tendernesse to re­spect the censures and constructi­ons [Page 131] of others, when we haue a di­rect word from God. The good Patriarch rises early, and addresses himselfe to his sad iourney. And now must he trauell three whole daies to do this execution, and stil must Isaac be in his eye, whom all this while hee seemes to see blee­ding vppon the pile of wood, which he carries; there is nothing so miserable as to dwell vnder the expectation of a great euill; That misery which must be, is mitiga­ted with speed, and aggrauated with delay: All this while if Abra­ham had repented him, hee had leisure to returne. There is no small triall, euen in the very time of tryall: now when they are come within sight of the chosen mountaine, the seruants are dis­missed, [Page 132] what a deuotion is this that will abide no witnesses, hee will not suffer two of his owne vassals to see him do that, which soon after al the world must know he hath done, yet is not Abraham afraid of that piety, which the be­holders could not see without horror, without resistance, which no eare could heare of without abhomination. What stranger could haue indured to see the fa­ther carry the knife and fire, in­struments of that death, which he had rather suffer then inflict? The son securely carrying that burden which must carry him.

But if Abrahams hart could haue knowne how to relent, that que­stion of his deere, innocent and [Page 133] religious son had melted it into compassion, My father, be­hold the fire and the wood, but where is the sacrifice? I know not whether that word, My Father, did not strike Abraham as deep, as the knife of Abraham could strike his son: yet doth he not so much as thinke, (O miserable man that may not at once bee a sonne to such a God, and a father to such a sonne:) Still he persists, and con­ceales, and where he meant not, prophesies, My sonne, God shall prouide a lamb for the burnt of­fering:

The heauy tidings was loath to come foorth, It was a death to Abraham to say what he must doe: Hee knows his owne faith to act [Page 134] this, he knows not Isaacs to indure it, But now when Isaac hath hel­ped to build the Altar, whereon he must be consumed; hee heares (not without astonishment) the strange command of God, the fi­nall will of his Father: My sonne thou art the lambe which God hath prouided for this burnt of­fering; If my blood would haue excused thee, how many thou­sand times had I rather to giue thee my own life, then take thine Alas I am full of daies, and now of long liued not but in thee; Thou mightest haue preserued the life of thy father and haue comforted his death, but the God of vs both hath chosen thee; Hee that gaue thee vnto mee miraculously, bids me by an vnusuall meanes to re­turne [Page 135] thee vnto him. I neede not tell thee, that I sacrifice all my worldly ioyes, yea and my selfe in thee, but God must bee obeyed; neither art thou too deere for him that calls thee: come on my son, restore the life that God hath giuen thee by mee: offer thy selfe willingly to those flames, send vp thy soule cheerefully vnto thy glorie; and know that God loues thee aboue others, since hee re­quires thee alone to be consecra­ted in sacrifice to himselfe.

Who cannot imagine with what perplexed mixtures of pas­sions, with what changes of coun­tenance, what doubts, what fears, what amazement good Isaac re­ceiued this sudden message from [Page 136] the mouth of his Father, how hee questioned, how he pleaded; but when hee had somwhat digested his thoughts, and considered that the Author was God, the actor Abraham, the action a sacrifice, he now approoues himselfe the son of Abraham; now hee incourages the trembling hands of his Fa­ther; with whom he striues in this praise of forwardnes, and obedi­ence; now he offers his hands and feet to the cords, his throat to the knife, his body to the altar; and growing ambitious of the sword and fire, intreates his father to do that, which he would haue done though hee had disswaded him; O holy emulation of faith! O blessed agreement of the sacrifi­cer, and oblation: Abraham is as [Page 137] ready to take, as Isaac to giue, He binds those deare hands which are more straitly bound with the cords of duty, and resolution; hee laies his sacrifice vpon the wood, which now before hand burnt in­wardly with the heauenly fire of zeale and deuotion.

And now hauing kissed him his last, not without mutual tears, hee lifts vp his hand to fetch the stroke of death at once; not so much as thinking, perhaps God will relent after the first wound; Now the stay of Abraham, the hope of the Church lies on blee­ding vnder the hand of a Father, what bowells can choose but yearne at this spectacle; which of the sauagest heathens that had [Page 138] beene now vpon the hill of Mo­riah, and had seene through the bushes the sword of a father han­ging ouer the throat of such a son would not haue beene more per­plexed in his thoughts, then that vnexpected sacrifice was in those briers: yet hee whom it neerest concerned, is least touched, Faith hath wrought the same in him, which cruelty would in others, not to be moued; Hee contemns all feares, and ouerlooks all im­possibilities; His heart tells him that the same hand which raised Isaac from the dead womb of Sa­rah, can raise him again from the ashes of his sacrifice: with this confidence was the hand of A­braham now falling vppon the throat of Isaac who had giuen [Page 139] himselfe for dead, and reioyced in the change; when suddenly the Angel of God interrupts him, forbids him, commends him.

The voice of God was neuer so welcome, neuer so sweet, neuer so seasonable as now: It was the tri­all that God intended, not the fact; Isaac is sacrificed, and is yet a­liue, and now both of them are more happy in that they would haue done, then they could haue beene distressed if they had done it. Gods charges are oft times harsh in the beginnings, and pro­ceeding, but in the conclusion al­waies comfortable: True spiritu­all comforts are commonly late and sudden: God differr's on pur­pose that our trials may bee per­fect, [Page 140] our deliuerance welcome, our recompence glorious: Isaac had neuer beene so pretious to his father if he had not beene re­couered from death; if he had not beene as miraculously restored as giuen: Abraham had neuer bin so blessed in his seed, if hee had not neglected Isaac for God.

The only way to find comfort in any earthly thing is to surren­der it (in a faithfull carelesnesse) into the hands of God: Abraham came to sacrifice, he may not goe away with drye hands: God can­not abide that good purposes should be frustrate: lest either he should do that, for which he came or should want meanes of speedy thankesgiuing for so gratious a [Page 141] appointment. Beholde a Ram stands ready for the sacrifice, and as it were, proffers himselfe to this happy exchange. Hee that made that beast, brings him thither, fa­stens him there: Euen in small things there is a great prouidence what misteries there are in euery act of God? The onely sonne of God vpon this very hill, is laid vp­on the altar of the crosse; and so becomes a true sacrifice for the world, that yet hee is raised with­out impeachment, and exempted from the power of death: The Lambe of God which takes the sinnes of the world is heere really offered, and accepted: One Saui­our in two figures; in the one, dy­ing; restored in the other. So A­braham whiles hee exercises his [Page 142] faith, confirmes it; and reioyces more to foresee the true Isaac in that place offered to death for his sinnes, then to see the carnal Isaac preserued from death for the re­ward of his faith. Whatsoeuer is dearest to vs vpon earth is our I­saac; happy are wee if we can sa­crifice it to God; those shall ne­uer rest with Abraham that cannot sacrifice with Abraham.

Lot and Sodome.

BEfore Abraham and Lot grewe riche, they dwelt together; now their wealth separates them; Their society was a greater good then their riches: Many a one is a looser by his wealth; Who would account those things good which make vs worse? It had bin the duty of yong Lot to offer ra­ther then to choose; to yeeld ra­ther then contend: who would not heere thinke Abraham the ne­phew; and Lot the vncle? It is no disparagement for greater per­sons to beginne treaties of peace. Better doth it beseeme euery son of Abraham to win with loue, then [Page 144] to sway with power. Abraham yeelds ouer this right of his choice; Lot takes it, And behold Lot is crossed in that which hee chose, Abraham is blessed in that which was left him, God neuer suffers any man to leese by an humble remission of his right in a desire of peace.

Wealth hath made Lot not on­ly vndutifull, but couetous, hee sees the goodly plains of Iordan, the richnesse of the soyle, the commodity of the riuers, the situ­ation of the cities, and now not once inquiring into the conditi­ons of the inhabitants, hee is in loue with Sodome: Outward ap­pearances are deceitfull guides to our iudgment, or affections: they [Page 145] are worthie to bee deceiued that value things as they seeme: It is not long after that Lot paies deere for his rashnesse. He fled for qui­etnesse with his vncle and fiends warre with strangers: Now is hee carried prisoner with all his sub­stance by great enemies; Abraham must rescue him, of whom hee was forsaken. That wealth which was the cause of his former quar­rels, is made a pray to mercilesse heathens. That place which his eye couetously chose betraies his life and goods. How many Chri­stians whiles they haue looked at gaine, haue lost themselues?

Yet this ill successe hath nei­ther driuen out Lot, nor amended Sodome; he still loues his commo­dity, [Page 146] and the Sodomites their sins wicked men grow worse with af­flictions, as water grows more cold after an heate: And as they leaue not sinning, so God leaues not plaguing them, but still fol­lowes them with succession of iudgements: In how few yeares hath Sodome forgot she was spoi­led, and led captiue? If that wick­ed city had beene warned by the sword, it had escaped the fire; but now this visitation had not made ten good men in those fiue cities: How fit was this heape for the fire, which was all chaffe? Onely Lot vexed his righteous soul with the sight of their vncleannesse; He vexed his owne soule, for who bad him stay there? yet because he was vexed, he is deliuered. He es­capeth [Page 147] their iudgment, for whose sinnes hee escaped. Though hee would be a guest of Sodome, yet be­cause hee would not entertaine their sinnes, hee becomes an host to the Angels: Euen the good Angels are the executioners of Gods iudgement: There cannot bee a better or more noble act then to do iustice vpon obstinate malefactors.

Who can be ashamed of that which did not mis-beseem the ve­ry Angels of God? Where should the Angels lodge but with Lot, the houses of holy men are full of these heauenly spirits, when they know not, they pitch their tents in ours, and visit vs when wee see not, and when we feele not, pro­tect [Page 148] vs; It is the honour of Gods Saints to be attended by Angels: The filthy Sodomites now flocke together, stirred vp with the fury of Enuie, and lust, and dare re­quire to doe that in troups which to act single, had beene too abho­minable, to imagine, vnnaturall. Continuance and society in euill makes wicked men outragious and impudent: It is not enough for Lot to be the witnesse; but hee must bee the baud also. ( Bring forth these men that wee may know them.

Beholde euen the Sodomites speake modestly; though their acts and intents bee villanous. What a shame it is for those which professe impurity of heart, [Page 149] to speake filthily? The good man craues and pleades the lawes of hospitality; and when hee sees headstrong purposes of mischiefe chooses rather to be an ill father; then an ill host: His intention was good, but his offer was faulty; If through his allowance the Sodo­mites had defiled his daughters; it had beene his sinne; If through violence they had defiled his guests; it had beene onely theirs: There can be no warrant for vs to sinne, lest others should sinne: It is for God to preuent sinnes with iudgement, it is not for men to preuent a greater sinne with a lesse: the best minds when they are troubled; yeeld inconsiderate motions, as water that is violently stirred; sends vp bubbles: God [Page 150] meant better to Lot then to suffer his weake offer to bee accepted: Those which are bent vpon villa­nie are more exasperated by dis­swasion; as some strong streames when they are resisted by flood­gates, swell ouer the bankes.

Many a one is hardened by the good word of God; and in steed of receiuing the counsell, rages at the messenger: When men are growne to that passe, that they are no whit better by afflictions, and woorse with admonitions, God finds it time to strike; Now Lots guests begin to shew them­selues Angels, and first deliuer Lot in Sodome, then from Sodom: First strike them with blindnesse, whom they will after consume [Page 151] with fire: How little did the So­domites thinke that vengeance was so neere them, while they went groping in the streets, and cursing those whom they could not finde, Lot with the Angels is in secure light, and sees them mi­serable, and foresees them bur­ning. It is the vse of God to blind and besot those whom he means to destroy: The light which they shall see shall be fiery, which shall be the beginning of an euerlasting darknesse, and a fire vnquencha­ble: Now they haue done sinning and God begins to iudge: Wick­ednesse hath but a time, the pu­nishment of wickednes is beyond all time. The residue of the night was both short and dangerous. Yet good Lot, though sought for [Page 152] by the Sodomites, and newly puld into his house by the Angels goes forth of his house to seek his sons in law: No good man would bee saued alone; faith makes vs charitable with neglect of all pe­rill: Hee warnes them like a Pro­phet, and aduises them like a Fa­ther, but both in vaine, he seemes to them as if he mocked, and they doe more then seeme to mocke him again. Why should to mor­row differ from other daies? Who euer saw it raine fire? Or whence should that brimstone come? Or if such showers must fall, how shall nothing burne but this val­ley? So to carnall men preaching is foolishnesse, deuotion idlenes, the Prophets mad men; Paul a babler: These mens incredulity is [Page 153] as woorthy of the fire, as the o­thers vncleannesse. Hee that be­leeues not is condemned alrea­die.

The messengers of God do not onely hasten Lot, but pull him by a gratious violence out of that impure citie. They thirsted at once after vengeance vpon Sodom and Lots safetie; they knew God could not strike Sodome, till Lot were gone out, and that Lot could not be safe within those wals. We are all naturally in Sodome, if God did not hale vs out, whiles we lin­ger wee should bee condemned with the world. If God meet with a very good field, hee puls vp the weeds, and lets the corne grow, if indifferent, hee lets the corne [Page 154] and weeds grow together; if very ill, hee gathers the few eares of corne, and burns the weeds.

Oh the large bounty of God which reacheth not to vs onelie, but to ours: God saues Lot for A­brahams sake, and Zoar for Lots sake; If Sodome had not beene too wicked, it had escaped: Were it not for Gods deere children that are intermixed with the world it could not stand: The wicked owe their liues vnto these few good; whom they hate and persecute. Now at once the Sunne rises vp­on Zoar, and fire falls down vpon Sodome: Abraham stands vpon the hill and sees the cities burning; It is faire weather with Gods chil­dren, when it is foulest with the [Page 155] wicked. Those which burned with the fire of lust, are now con­sumed with the fire of vengeance They sinned against nature, and now against the course of nature; fire descends from Heauen and consumes them: Lot may not so much as looke at the flame, whe­ther for the stay of his passage, or the horror of the sight, or triall of his faith; or feare of commiserati­on. Small precepts from God are of importance, obedience is as well tried, and disobedience as wel punished in little, as in much: His wife doth but turne back her head, whether in curiosity, or vn­beleefe, or loue, and compassion of the place; shee is turned into a monument of disobedience; what doth it auaile her not to bee tur­ned [Page 156] into ashes in Sodom, when she is turned into a piller of salt in the playne? He that saued a whole ci­tie cannot saue his own wife. God cannot abide smal sinnes, in those whom he hath obliged. If we dis­please him, God can as well meet with vs out of Sodome: Lot now come into Zoar maruels at the stay of her, whom hee might not before looke backe to call; & soon after returning to seeke her be­holds this change with wonder and griefe: He finds salt in steede of flesh, a piller in steed of a wife; he finds Sodome consumed, and her standing, and is more amazed with this, by how much it was both more neere him, and lesse expected.

When God deliuers vs from de­struction, [Page 157] hee doth not secure vs from all a [...]flictions: Lot hath lost his wife, his allies, his substance, and now betakes himselfe to an vncomfortable solitarinesse.

Yet though he fled from com­pany, he could not flye from sin: Hee who could not bee tainted with vncleannesse in Sodome, is ouertaken with drunkennesse and incest in a caue: Rather then Satan shal not want baits his own daughters will proue Sodomites; Those which should haue com­forted, betraied him: How little are some hearts mooued with iudgements? The ashes of Sodome and the piller of salt were not yet out of their eye when they dare thinke of lying with their owne [Page 158] Father. They knew that whilest Lot was sober hee could not bee vnchast: Drunkennesse is the way to all bestiall affections, and acts. Wine knows no difference either of persons or sinnes: No doubt Lot was afterwards ashamed of his incestuous seed, and now wi­shed hee had come alone out of Sodome; yet euen this vnnaturall bed was blessed with increase; and one of our Sauiours worthy An­cestors sprung after from this line. Gods election is not tied to our meanes; neither are blessings or curses euer traduced; The chast bedde of holy parents hath oft times bred a monstrous generati­on; and contrarily God hath rai­sed sometimes an holy seed from the drunken bed of incest, or for­nication; [Page 159] It hath beene seene that weighty eares of corne haue growne, out of the compasse of the tilled field: Thus will God magnifie the freedom of his owne choice: and let vs know that wee are not borne, but made good.

Jacob and Esau.

OF all the Patriarkes none made so little noyse in the world as Isaac; none liued ei­ther so priuately, or so innocent­ly: Neither know I whether hee approued himselfe a better son or an husband. For the one; He gaue himselfe ouer to the knife of his Father, and mourned three yeeres [Page 168] for his mother; for the other hee sought not to any handmaids bed, but in a chast forbearance re­serued himselfe for twenty yeares space, and praied. Rebecca was so long barren, his praiers prooued more effectuall then his seed. At last shee conceiued, as if shee had beene more then the daughter in law to Sarah; whose sonne was giuen her, not out of the pow­er of nature, but of her Hus­bands faith; God is oft better to vs then we would: Isaac praies for a son; God giues him two at once: Now, shee is no lesse trou­bled with the strife of the chil­dren in her womb, then before with the want of children: wee know not when we are pleased; that which wee desire, oft-times [Page 169] discontents vs more in the fruiti­on; wee are ready to complaine both full and fasting. Before Re­becca conceiued shee was at ease: Before spirituall regeneration there is all peace in the soule: No sooner is the new man formed in vs, but the flesh conflicts with the spirit: There is no grace where is no vnquietnes: Esau alone would not haue striuen, nature will euer agree with it selfe; Neuer any Re­becca conceiued only an Esau; or was so happy as to conceiue none but a Iacob; She must be the mo­ther of both, that shee may haue both ioy and exercise. This strife began early; Euery true Israelite begins his warre with his beeing. How many actions which wee know not of, are not without pre­sage [Page 170] and signification? These two were the champions of two nati­ons, the field was their mothers womb, their quarrell, precedency and superiority: Esau got the right of nature; Iacob of grace: yet that there might be some pretence of equality, lest Esau should out­run his brother into the world, Iacob holds him fast by the heele: So his hand was borne before the others foote: But because Esau is some minutes the elder, that the yonger might haue better claime to that which God had promised he buyes that, which he could not winne: If either by strife, or pur­chase, or suit, we can attaine spiri­tuall blessings wee are happy: If Iaacob had come forth first, he had not knowne how much hee was [Page 171] bound to God for the fauour of his aduancement. There was ne­uer any meate except the forbid­den fruit so deare bought, as this broth of Iaacob; In both, the recei­uer and the eater is accursed: Eue­ry true sonne of Israell will bee content to purchase spirituall fa­uours with earthly; And that man hath in him too much of the blood of Esau, which will not ra­ther dye then forgoe his birth-right. But what hath carelesse E­sau lost, if hauing sold his birth-right, he may obtain the blessing? Or what hath Iaacob gained, if his brothers venison may counter­uaile his pottage? Yet thus hath old Isaac decreed; who was now not more blind in his eyes, then in his affections: God had fore­warned [Page 172] him that the elder should serue the younger, yet Isaac goes about to blesse Esau. It was not so hard for Abraham to reconcile Gods promise and Isaacs sacrifice, as for Isaac to reconcile the superi­ority of Iacob, with Esaus benedi­ction: for Gods hand was in that, in this none but his owne: The deerest of Gods saints haue beene sometimes transported with na­turall affections: He saw himselfe preferred to Ismael, though the elder; hee saw his father wilfully forgetting nature at Gods com­maund, in binding him for sacri­fice; He saw Esau lewdly matched with Heathens; and yet hee will remember nothing, but Esau is my first borne; But how gracious is God; that when we would, will [Page 173] not let vs sinne? And so orders our actions, that we do not what we will, but what we ought; That God which had ordained the Lordship to the yonger, will also contriue for him the blessing; what he will haue effected, shall not want meanes: the mother shall rather defeate the son, and beguile the Father, then the Fa­ther shall beguile the chosen son of his blessing: what was Ia­cob to Rebecca more then Esau? or what mother doth not more af­fect the elder? But now God in­clines the loue of the mother to the yonger against the custom of nature, because the father loues the elder, against the promise: The affections of the parents are diuided, that the promise might [Page 174] bee fulfilled; Rebeccaes craft shall answer Isaacs partiality: Isaac wold vniustly turne Esau into Iacob, Re­becca doth as cunningly turne Ia­cob into Esau: her desire was good, her meanes were vnlawfull; God doth oft times effect his iust will by our weakenesses; yet neither therby iustifying our infirmities; nor blemishing his own actions. Heere was nothing but counter­saiting a fained person, a fained name, fained venison, a fained an­swer, & yet behold a true blessing but to the man, not to the means: Those were so vnsound, that Iacob himself doth more fear their curse then hope for their successe: Isaac was now both simple and olde, yet if he had perceiued the fraud, Iacob had beene more sure of a [Page 175] curse, then he could be sure, that he should not be perceiued; those which are plaine harted in them­selues, are the bitterest enemies to deceipt in others: Rebecca presu­ming vpon the Oracle of God, and her husbands simplicity, dare bee his surety for the danger, his counseller for the carriage of the busines, his cook for the diet, yea dresses both the meate and the man: and now puts words into his mouth, the dish into his hand the garments vpon his backe, the goates haire vpon the open parts of his body, and sends him in thus furnished for the blessing: Standing no doubt at the dore, to see how well her lesson was lear­ned, how well her deuise succee­ded. And if olde Isaac should by [Page 176] any of his senses haue discerned the guile; she had soone stept in, and vndertaken the blame, and vrged him with that known will of God concerning Iacobs domi­nion, and Esaus seruitude, which either age or affection had made him forget. And now she wishes shee could borrow Esaus tongue as well as his garments, that shee might securely deceiue all the senses of him, which had suffered himselfe more dangerously de­ceiued with his affection: But this is past her remedy: her son must name himself Esau with the voice of Iacob. It is hard if our tongue doe not bewray what we are, in spight of our habit. This was e­nough to worke Isaac to a suspi­tion, to an inquiry, not to an in­credulity: [Page 177] He that is good of him­selfe will hardly beleeue euill of another: And will rather distrust his owne senses, then the fidelity of those he trusted: All the senses are set to examine; none sticketh at the iudgement but the eare; To deceiue that, Iacob must second his dissimulation with three lyes at one breath: I am Esau, as thou badst me, my venison: one sin in­tertained fetcheth in another, and if it be forced to lodge alone, ei­ther departeth, or dyeth: I loue Iacobs blessing, but I hate his lye, I would not doe that wilfully, which Iacob did weakely, vppon condition of a blessing: Hee that pardoned his infirmity, would curse my obstinatenesse. Good I­saac sets his hands to trie whether [Page 178] his eares informed him aright; he feeles the hands of him whose voice hee suspected: that honest heart could not thinke that the skin might more easily be coun­terfaited, then the lungs: A small satisfaction contents those whom guiltines hath not made scrupu­lous: Isaac beleeues, and blesses the yoonger son in the garments of the elder: If our heauenly Fa­ther smell vpon our backes the sauor of our elder brothers robes, wee cannot depart from him vn­blessed: No sooner is Iacob gone away ful of the ioy of his blessing then Esau comes in, full of the hope of the blessing: And now he cannot repent him to haue solde that in his hunger for pottage; which in his pleasure he shal buy [Page 179] againe with venison: The hopes of the wicked faile them when they are at highest, whereas Gods children find those comforts in extremity which they durst not expect. Now hee comes in blow­ing, and sweating for his reward, and finds nothing but a repulse: Leud men when they think they haue earned of God; and come proudly to challenge fauour, re­ceiue no answere but who art thou? Both the Father and the Sonne wonder at each other, the one with feare, the other with griefe; Isaac trembled, and Esau wept; the one vpon conscience, the other vpon enuye: Isaacs hart now told him that he should not haue purposed the blessing where he did; and that it was due to him [Page 180] vnto whom it was giuen, and not purposed; hence he durst not re­uerse that which hee had done, with Gods will, besides his own: For now he saw that he had done vnwilling iustice: God will finde both time and meanes to reclaim his owne, to preuent their sins, to manifest and reforme their errors who would haue looked for tears from Esau? Or who dare trust tears, when he sees them fal from so gracelesse eyes? It was a good word, Blesse mee also my father; Euery miscreant can wish him­selfe well: No man would be mi­serable if it were enough to desire happinesse: Why did he not ra­ther weep to his brother, for the pottage, then to Isaac for a bles­sing, If hee had not then solde, [Page 181] hee had not needed now to begge: It is iust with God to deny vs those fauours which wee were carelesse in keeping, and which wee vnder valew­ed in inioying; Esaus eares find no place for Isaacs repentance; Except it were that he hath done that by wile, which hee should haue done vpon duty. No motiue can cause a good heart to repent that he hath done wel; how hap­py a thing it is to know the sea­sons of grace, and not to neglect them; how desperate to haue known & neglected them, these teares were both late and false; the teares of rage, of enuy, of carnall desire; worldly sorrow causeth death: yet whiles Esau howles out thus for a blessing, I hear him cry [Page 182] out of his fathers store (Hast thou but one blessing my father) of his brothers subtlety (was hee not rightly called Iacob?) I do not hear him blame his owne deserts; He did not see, while his Father was deceiued, and his brother crafty, that God was iust, and himselfe vncapable, hee knew himselfe prophane, and yet claimes a bles­sing. Those that care not to please God, yet care for the outward fa­uours of God, and are ready to murmur if they want them, as if God were bound to them, and they free. And yet so mercifull is God, that hee hath second bles­sings for those that loue him not, and giues them all they care for. That one blessing of speciall loue is for none but Israell; but those [Page 183] of common kindnes are for them that can sell their birth-right: This blessing was more then Esau could be worthy of, yet like a se­cond Cain, hee resolues to kill his brother, because he was more ac­cepted, I know not whether hee were a worse son, or brother; He hopes for his fathers death, and purposes his brothers; and vowes to shed blood in steed of teares. But wicked men cannot bee so ill as they would; that strong wrest­ler against whom Iacob preuailed, preuailed with Esau, and turned his wounds into kisses; an host of men came with Esau; an army of Angels met Iacob, Esau threatned, Iacob prayed, His prayers, and pre­sents haue melted the heart of E­sau into loue. And now in steed [Page 184] of the grimme and sterne counte­nance of an executioner, Iacob sees the face of Esau, as the face of God. Both men and diuels are stinted, the stoutest heart cannot stand out against God, Hee that can wrestle earnestly with God, is secure from the harmes of men. Those minds which are exaspe­rated with violence, and cannot be broken with fear, yet are bow­ed with loue; when the waies of a man please God, hee will make his enemies at peace with him.

Jacob and Laban.

ISAACS life was not more re­tyred and quiet, then Iacobs was busie and troublesom. In the one I see the image of contemplation, of action in the other. None of the Patriarchs saw so euill daies as he; from whom iustly hath the Church of God therefore taken her name. Neither were the faith­full euer since called Abrahamites, but Israelites: that no time might be lost, hee began his strife in the womb; after that, hee flies for his life from a cruel brother to a cru­ell vncle. With a staffe goes hee ouer Iorden alone; doubtfull and comfortlesse, not like the sonne [Page 186] of Isaac. In the way the earth is his bed, and the stone his pillow; Yet euen there he sees a vision of Angels: Iacobs heart was neuer so full of ioy, as when his head lay hardest. God is most present with vs in our greatest deiection, and loues to giue comfort to those that are forsaken of their hopes.

He came farre to finde out an hard friend; and of a nephew be­comes a seruant. No doubt when Laban heard of his sisters son, hee looked for the Camels and atten­dance that came to fetch his sister Rebecca, not thinking that Abra­hams seruant could come better furnished, then Isaacs son; but now when he saw nothing but a staffe he lookes vpon him not as an vn­cle, [Page 187] but a maister. And while hee pretends to offer him a wife as the reward of his seruice, he craf­tily requires his seruice as the dowry of his wife.

After the seruice of an hard ap­prentiseship hath earned her whom he loued; his wife is chan­ged, and hee is, in a sort, forced to an vnwilling adultery: His mo­ther had before in a cunning dis­guise substituted him, who was the yonger son, for the elder; and now not long after his father in law, by a like fraud, substitutes to him the elder daughter for the yonger: God comes oftentimes home to vs in our own kind; and euen by the sinne of others paies vs our owne, when wee looke [Page 188] not for it. It is doubtfull whether it were a greater crosse to marry whom he would not, or to be dis­appointed of her whom he desi­red. And now hee must begin a new hope, where hee made ac­count of fruition; To raise vp an expectation once frustrate, is more difficult, then to continue a long hope drawn on with like­lihoods of performance: yet thus deere is Iacob content to pay for Rachel, fourteene yeers seruitude: Commonly Gods children come not easily by their pleasures: what miseries will not loue digest and ouercome? And if Iacob were wil­lingly consumed with heat in the day, with frost in the night to be­come the sonne in law to Laban: What should wee refuse to bee [Page 189] the sonnes of God?

Rachel whom he loued is barren Lea which was despised, is fruit­full; How wisely God weighs out to vs our fauours and crosses in an equall ballance; so tempering our sorrowes that they may not op­presse, and our ioyes that they may not transport vs: each one hath some matter of enuye to o­thers, and of griefe to him­selfe.

Lea enuies Rachels beauty, and loue; Rachel enuies Leahs fruitful­nesse: Yet Lea would not be bar­ren, nor Rachel bleare eyed. I see in Rachel the image of her grand­mother Sara; both in her beauty of person, in her actions, in her [Page 190] successe: shee also will needs su­borne her handmaid to make her a mother; and at last beyond hope, her selfe conceiueth: It is a weake greedinesse in vs to affect Gods blessings by vnlawfull meanes; what a proofe and praise had it beene of her faith if shee had staied Gods leasure, & would rather haue indured her barren­nesse, then her husbands Poliga­my: Now she shewes herselfe the daughter of Laban, the father for couetousnesse, the daughters for emulation haue drawn sinne in­to Iacobs bedde: Hee offended in yeelding, but they more in solli­citing him, and therefore the fact is not imputed to Iacob, but to them. In those sins which Satan drawes vs into, the blame is ours, [Page 191] in those which we moue each o­ther vnto, the most fault and pu­nishment lies vpon the tempter. None of the Patriarchs diuided his seed into so many wombs as Iacob, none was so much crossed in his seed.

Thus rich in nothing but wiues and children, was hee now retur­ning to his fathers house, ac­counting his charge, his wealth. But God meant him yet more good. Laban sees that both his fa­milie, and his flockes were wel in­creased by Iacobs seruice. Not his loue therefore but his gain makes him loath to part. Euen Labans couetousnesse is made by God the meanes to inrich Iacob.

Behold his strait master intreats [Page 192] him to that recompence, which made his nephew mighty, and himselfe enuious: God conside­ring his hard seruice paid him his wages out of Labans folds. Those flockes and heards had but few spotted sheep, and goates, vntill Iacobs couenant, then (as if the fa­shion had beene altered) they all ran into parted colours, the most and best (as if they had bin weary of their former owner) changed the colours of their young, that they might change their master.

In the very shapes and colours of bruite creatures there is a di­uine hand, which disposeth them to his owne ends. Small and vn­likely meanes shal preuail where God intends an effect. Little pil­led [Page 193] stickes of hasell or poplar laid in the troughs shall inrich Iacob with an increase of his spotted flockes; Labans sons might haue tried the same meanes, and failed: God would haue Laban know that hee put a difference betwixt Iacob and him; that as for four­teene yeeres hee had multiplied Iacobs charge of cattell to Laban, so now for the last sixe yeeres hee would multiply Labans flocke to Iacob? and if Laban had the more, yet the better were Iacobs: Euen in these outward things, Gods chil­dren haue many times sensible tastes of his fauours aboue the wicked.

I know not whether Laban were a worse vncle, or father, or master [Page 194] he can like well Iacobs seruice, not his wealth. As the wicked haue no peace with God, so the godly haue no peace with men; for if they prosper not, they are des­pised; if they prosper, they are enuyed. This vncle whom his ser­uice had made his Father, must now vpon his wealth be fled from as an enemie: and like an enemy pursues him: If Laban had meant to haue taken a peaceable leaue, hee had neuer spent seuen daies iourny in following his innocent sonne: Iacob knew his churlishnes and therefore resolued rather to be vnmanerly, then iniuried, well might hee thinke that hee whose oppression changed his wages so often, in his stay would also a­bridge his wages in the parting; [Page 195] now therefore hee wisely prefers his owne estate to Labans loue: It is not good to regard too much the vniust discontentment of word­ly men, and to purchase vnpro­fitable fauour with too great losse.

Behold Laban follows Iacob with one troup, Esau meets him with a­nother, both with hostile intenti­ons, both go on till the vtmost point of their execution: both are preuented ere the execution. God makes fools of the enemies of his Church, hee lets them proceed that they may bee frustrate, and when they are gone to the vtmost reach of their tether he puls them backe to their stake with shame: Lo now Laban leaues Iacob with a [Page 196] kisse; Esau meets him with a kisse: Of the one he hath an oath, tears of the other, peace with both: Who shall need to feare man that is in league with God?

But what a wonder is this: Ia­cob receiued not so much hurt from all his enemies, as from his best friend. Not one of his haires perished by Laban, or Esau; yet he lost a ioynt by the Angell, and was sent halting to his graue: He that knows our strength, yet will wrestle with vs for our exercise; and loues our violence and im­portunity.

Oh happy losse of Iacob, hee lost a ioynt and won a blessing: It is a fauour to halt from God, yet [Page 197] this fauour is seconded with a greater. He is blessed because hee would rather halt then leaue ere hee was blessed. If hee had left sooner, hee had not halted, but he had not prospered. That man shall goe away sound, but miserable, that loues a limme more then a blessing. Surely if Iacob had not wrestled with God, he had beene foyled with euills: How many are the troubles of the righteous.

Not long after, Rachel; the com­fort of his life, dyeth. And when but in her trauell, and in his tra­uell to his Father? when hee had now before digested in his thoughts the ioy and gratulation of his aged father, for so welcome [Page 198] a burden. His children, (the staffe of his age) wound his soule to the death. Reuben proues incestuous, Iuda adulterous, Dinah rauished; Simeon and Leui murderous, Er, and Onan striken dead, Ioseph lost; Simeon imprisoned; Beniamin, the death of his mother, the Fathers right hand, indangered; himselfe driuen by famin, in his old age, to dye amongst the Aegyptians, a people that held it abhomination to eat with him. If that Angel with whom he stroue, and who there­fore stroue for him, had not deli­uered his soule out of all aduersi­tie he had beene supplanted with euils, and had bene so farre from gaining the name of Israel, that he had lost the name of Iacob, now what son of Israell can hope for [Page 199] good daies, when hee heares his Fathers were so euill? It is enough for vs if when we are dead we can rest with him in the land of pro­mise. If the Angell of the coue­nant once blesse vs, no payne, no sorrowes can make vs miserable.

Dinah.

I Find but one only daughter of Iacob, who must needs therfore be a great dearling to her father; and shee so miscarries, that shee causes her fathers griefe to bee more then his loue. As her mo­ther Leah; so shee hath a fault in her eyes, which was, Curiosity: [Page 200] Shee will needs see, and be seene; and whiles shee doth vainely see, shee is seene lustfully. It is not e­nough for vs to looke to our own thoughts, except wee beware of the prouocations of others: If we once wander out of the lists that God hath set vs in our callings, there is nothing but danger: Her virginity had bene safe if she had kept home; or if Sechem had forced her in her mothers tent; this losse of her virginity had bene without her sinne; now shee is not inno­cent that gaue the occasion.

Her eies were guilty of this temptation: Only to see, is an in­sufficient warrant to draw vs in­to places of spirituall hazard: If Sechem had seene her busie at [Page 201] home his loue had bene free from outrage; now the lightnes of her presence gaue incouragement to his inordinate desires. Immode­sty of behauiour makes way to lust; and giues life vnto wicked hopes: yet Sechem bewraies a good nature euen in filthinesse; Hee loues Dinah after his sinne, and will needs marry her whom hee hath defiled. Commonly lust ends in loathing: Ammon abhors Thamar as much, after his act, as before, hee loued her; and beats her out of doores, whom he was sicke to bring in. But Sechem wold not let Dinah fare the worse for his sin. And now he goes about to intertain her with honest loue, whom the rage of his lust had di­shonestly abused. Her deflow­ring [Page 202] shall be no preiudice to her, since her shame shall redound to none but him, and hee will hide her dishonour with the name of an husband. What could he now doe, but sue to his Father, to hers, to her selfe; to her brethren, in­treating that, with humble sub­mission which he might haue ob­tained by violence. Those actions which are ill begun, can hardly be salued vp with late satisfactions; whereas good entrances giue strength vnto the proceedings, and successe to the end.

The young mans father, doth not onely consent but solicit; and is ready to purchase a daughter either with substance, or paine: The two olde men would haue [Page 203] ended the matter peaceably; but youth commonly vndertakes rashly, and performes with passi­on, The sonnes of Iacob thinke of nothing but reuenge, and (which is worst of all) begin their cruelty with craft, and hide their craft with religion: A smiling malice is most deadly; and hatred doth most ranckle the heart when it is kept in and dissembled. We can­not giue our sister to an vncir­cumcised man; heere was God in the mouth, and Satan in the hart: The bloodiest of al proiects haue euer wont to bee coloured with religion: because the woorse any thing is, the better shew it desires to make; and contrarily, the bet­ter colour is put vpon any vice, the more odious it is; for as euery [Page 204] simulation ads to an euill, so the best ads most euil: themselues had taken the daughters and sisters of vncircumcised men; Yea Iacob himselfe did so; why might not an vncircumcised man obtaine their sister? Or if there be a diffe­rence of giuing and taking, it had bin wel if it had not bin only pre­tended. It had bene an happy ra­uishment of Dinah that should haue drawn a whole country into the bosom of the church: but here was a sacrament intended, not to the good of the soul, but to mur­der of the body: It was an hard task for Hamor and Sechem not on­ly to put the knife to their owne foreskins, but to perswade a mul­titude to so painful a condition.

The Sonnes of Iacob dissemble [Page 205] with them, they with the people. ( Shall not their flockes and substance be ours?) Common profit is pre­tended; whereas onely Sechems pleasure is meant. No motiue is so powerfull to the vulgar sort, as the name of commodity; The hope of this makes them prodi­gall of their skin and blood; Not the loue to the Sacrament, not the loue to Sechem: sinister re­spects draw more to the professi­on of religion, then conscience: if it were not for the loaues and fishes, the traine of Christ would bee lesse. But the Sacraments of God mis-receiued, neuer prosper in the end, These men are con­tent to smart, so they may gaine.

And now that euery man lies [Page 206] sore of his owne wound, Simeon and Leui rush in armed, & wound all the males to death: Cursed be their wrath for it was fierce, and their rage for it was cruell: in­deed, filthinesse should not haue beene wrought in Israel; but mur­der should not haue bin wrought by Israell; if they had beene fit iudges (which were but bloodie executioners) how farre doth the punishment exceed the fault? To punish aboue the offence is no lesse vniustice, then to offend one offendeth, and all feele the re­uenge: yea all, (though innocent) suffer that reuenge, which he that offended, deserued not. Sechem sinned, but Dinah tempted him: Shee that was so light, as to wan­der abroad alone, onely to gaze, [Page 207] I feare was not ouer difficult to yeeld: And if hauing wrought her shame, heee had driuen her home with disgrace to her fathers tent, such tyrannous lust had iust­ly called for blood, but now hee craues, and offers, and would pay deere for but leaue to giue satisfa­ction.

To execute rigour vpon a sub­misse offender is more mercilesse then iust: Or if the punishment had beene both iust and propor­tionable from another, yet from them which had vowed peace and affinity, it was shamefully vniust. To disappoint the trust of another, and to neglect our own promise and fidelity for priuate purposes, addes faithlesnesse vn­to [Page 208] our cruelty. That they were impotent it was through their circumcision: what impiety was this insteed of honouring an ho­ly signe, to take an aduantage by it? what shrieking was there now in the streets of the citie of the Hiuites? And how did the begui­led Sichemites when they saw the swords of the two brethren, die cursing that Sacrament in their hearts which had betraied them? Euen their curses were the sinnes of Simeon and Leui; whose fact, though it were abhorred by their father, yet it was seconded by their brethren. Their spoile makes good the others slaugh­ter. Who would haue looked to haue found this outrage in the familie of Iacob? How did that [Page 209] good Patriarke when he saw Di­nah come home blubbered and wringing her hands, Simeon and Leui sprinkled with blood, wish that Leah had bene barren as long as Rachel: Good parents haue greefe enough (though they su­staine no blame) for their chil­drens sins: What great euils arise from small beginnings. The idle Curiosity of Dinah hath bred all this mischiefe, Rauishment sol­lowes vpon her wandring, vpon her rauishment murder, vpon the murder spoyle: It is holy and safe to be iealous of the first occasions of euill either done, or suffered

Judah and Thamar.

I Find not many of Iacobs sonnes more faulty then Iudah; who yet is singled out from all the rest, to be the royal progenitor of Christ; and to be honoured with the dig­nity of the birthright; that Gods election might not bee of merit, but of grace: Else howsoeuer hee might haue sped alone, Thamar had neuer bene ioyned with him in this line: Euen Iudah marries a Canaanite, it is no maruel though his seed prosper not: And yet that good children may not bee too much discouraged with their vn­lawfull propagation, the fathers of the promised seede are raised [Page 211] from an ineestuous bed: Iudah was very yong, scarce from vnder the rod of his Father, yet he takes no other counsell for his marriage, but from his owne eyes, which were like his sister Dinahs, rouing and wanton, what better issue could be expected from such be­ginnings. Those proud Iews that glory so much of their pedigree and name from this Patriarch, may now choose whether they will haue their mother a Canaa­nite, or an harlot: Euen in these things oft-times the birth follows the belly. His eldest son Er, is too wicked to liue; God strikes him dead ere hee can leaue any issue, not abiding any sience to grow out of so bad a stocke: Notorious sinners God reserues to his owne [Page 212] vengeance, Hee doth not inflict sensible iudgements vpon all his enemies, least the wicked should thinke there were no punishment abiding for them elswhere. Hee doth inflict such iudgements vp­on, some, least hee should seeme carelesse of euill. It were as easie for him to strike all dead, as one: but he had rather all should bee warned by one, and would haue his enemies find him mercifull, as his children iust: His brother O­nan sees the iudgement, and yet follows his sins. Euery little thing discourages vs from good. No­thing can alter the heart that is set vpon euill: Er was not worthy of any loue; but though hee were a miscreant, yet he was a brother Seed should haue beene raised to [Page 213] him; Onan iustly leeses his life with his seed; which hee would rather spill, then lend to a wicked bro­ther. Some duties wee owe to hu­manity, more to neernes of bloud Ill deseruings of others can be no excuse for our iniustice, for our vncharitablenesse. That which Thamar required, Moses afterward, as from God, commaunded; the succession of brothers into the barren bedde: Some lawes God spake to his Church long ere hee wrote them: while the author is certainly knowne, the voice and the finger of God are worthie of equall respect. Iudah hath lost two sonnes, and now doth but pro­mise the third, whom he sinnes in not giuing. It is the weakenesse of nature, rather to hazard a sinne, [Page 214] then a daunger. And to neglect our owne duety, for wrongfull suspicion of others: though hee had lost his sonne in giuing him: yet hee should haue giuen him: A faithfull mans promise is his debt, which no feare of damage can dispeuse with.

But whereupon was this slack­nesse? Iudah feared that some vn­happinesse in the bed of Thamar was the cause of his sons miscarri­age; whereas it was their fault that Thamar was both a widow and childlesse. Those that are but the patients of euill, are many times burdened with suspitions; and therefore are ill thought of, because they fare ill: Afflictions would not be so heauy if they did [Page 215] not lay vs open vnto vncharita­ble conceipts.

What difference God puts be­twixt sinnes of wilfulnesse, and in­firmity? The sonnes pollution is punished with present death, the fathers incest is pardoned, and in a sort prospereth.

Now Thamar seeks by subtlety, that which she could not haue by award of iustice; the neglect of due retributions driues men to indi­rect courses; neither know I whe­ther they sinne more in righting themselues wrongfully, or the o­ther in not righting them: Shee therefore takes vpon her the ha­bit of an harlot, that shee might performe the act; If shee had not wished to seeme an whoore, she [Page 216] had not worn that attire, nor cho­sen that place, immodesty of out­ward fashion or gesture bewraies euill desires, the heart that means well, will neuer wish to seeme ill; for commonly we affect to shew better then we are. Many harlots wil put on the semblances of cha­stity, of modesty, neuer the con­trary. It is no trusting those which do not wish to appeare good. Iu­dah esteems her by her habit, and now the sight of an harlot hath stird vp in him a thought of lust; Satan finds well that a fit obiect is halfe a victory.

Who would not bee ashamed to see a son of Iacob thus transpor­ted with filthy affections? At the first sight is hee inflamed; neither [Page 217] yet did hee see the face of her, whom hee lusted after, it was e­nough motiue to him that shee was a woman; neither could the presence of his neighbour the A­dullamite compose those wicked thoughts, or hinder his vnchaste acts.

That sinne must needs bee impudent, which can abide a wit­nesse: yea so hath his lust besot­ted him, that he cannot discerne the voice of Thamar, that he can­not foresee the danger of his shame in parting with such pled­ges. There is no passion which doth not for the time bereaue a man of himselfe: Thamar had lear­ned not to trust him without a pawne; He had promised his son to her as a daughter, and failed; [Page 218] now hee promised a kid to her as an harlot, & performeth it, whe­ther his pledge constrained him, or the power of his word, I in­quire not: Many men are faithfull in all things, saue those which are the greatest, and dearest; If his credit had beene as much indan­gered in the former promise, hee had kept it: Now hath Thamar re­quited him. Shee expected long the inioying of his promised son, and he performed not: but heere he performes the promise of the kid, and she staies not to expect it; Iudah is sory that hee cannot pay the hire of his lust, and now fea­reth lest he shall be beaten with his owne staffe, least his signet shall be vsed to confirme, and seal his reproch; resoluing not to [Page 219] know them; and wishing they were vnknowne of others. Shame is the easiest wages of sin, and the surest, which euer begins first in our selues. Nature is not more forward to commit sinne, then willing to hide it.

I heare as yet of no remorse in Iudah, but feare of shame. Three moneths hath his sinne slept, and now when hee is securest, it a­wakes and baites him. Newes is brought him that Thamar begins to swell with her conception, and now he swels with rage, and cals her foorth to the flame like a ri­gorous iudge, without so much as staying for the time of her deliue­rance; that his cruelty in this iu­stice, should bee no lesse ill, then [Page 220] the vniustice of occasioning it. If Iuda had not forgotten his sinne, his pitty had beene more then his hatred to this of his daugh­ters: How easie is it to detest those sinnes in others which we flatter in our selues: Thamar doth not de­ny the sinne, nor refuse punish­ment; but cals for that partner in her punishment, which was her partner in the sinne: the staffe, the signet, the handkerchiefe accuse and conuince Iuda, and now hee blushes at his owne sentence, much more at his act, and cryes out (she is more righteous then I) God will find a time to bring his children vpon their knees, and to wring from them penitent con­fessions: And rather then hee will not haue them soundly ashamed, [Page 221] hee will make them the trumpets of their owne reproch.

Yet doth hee not offer himselfe to the flame with her, but ra­ther excuses her by himselfe. This relenting in his owne case shamed his former zeale: Euen in the best men nature is partial to it selfe: It is good so to sentence others frailties, that yet wee re­member our owne, whether those that haue beene, or may bee, with what shame, yea with what horror must Iudah needs look vp-vpon the great belly of Thamar, and on her two sons, the monu­ments of his filthinesse?

How must it needs wound his soule to hear them call him both [Page 222] Father, and Grandfather, to call her mother, and sister: If this had not cost him many a sigh, he had no more escaped his Fathers curse then Reuben did: I see the diffe­rence not of sins, but of men: Re­mission goes not by the measure of the sinne, but the quality of the sinner; yea rather, the mercy of the forgiuer: Blessed is the man (not that sins not, but) to whom the Lord imputes not his sinne.

Joseph.

I Maruell not that Ioseph had the double portion of Iacobs land, who had more then two parts of his sorrowes: None of his sons did so truely inherit his afflictions; none of them was either so mise­rable, or so great: suffering is the way to glory: I see in him not a cleerer type of Christ, then of e­uery Christian, because wee are deere to our Father, and complain of sins, therefore are we hated of our carnall brethren: If Ioseph had not medled with his brothers faults, yet hee had beene enui­ed for his Fathers affection; but now malice is met with enuie: [Page 224] There is nothing more thanke­lesse or dangerous then to stand in the way of a resolute sinner: That which doth correct and ob­lige the penitent, makes the wil­full minde furious and reuenge­full.

All the spight of his brethren cannot make Ioseph cast off the li­uery of his fathers loue: what neede we care for the censures of men [...] if our hearts can tell vs that we are in fauour with God.

But what ment yoong Ioseph to adde vnto his owne enuie▪ by re­porting his dreames? The con­cealement of our hopes or abili­ties hath not more modesty, then safety: Hee that was enuied for [Page 225] his deerenesse, and hated for his intelligence, was both enuied and hated for his dreams. Surely God meant to make the relation of these dreames, a meanes to effect that which these dreames impor­ted. Wee men worke by likely meanes; God by contraries. The main quarrel was, ( Behold this drea­mer commeth.) Had it not bene for his dreams; he had not bin solde, if he had not bene sold, hee had not bin exalted. So Iosephs state had not deserued enuie, if his dreams had not caused him to be enuied. Full little did Ioseph thinke when he went to seek his brethren that this was the last time hee should see his Fathers house: Full little did his brethren think when they solde him naked to the Ismaelites [Page 226] to haue once seene him in the throne of Aegypt. Gods decree runnes on; and while wee, either think not of it, or oppose it, is per­formed.

In an honest and obedient sim­plicity Ioseph comes to inquire of his brethrens health, and now may not returne to carry newes of his owne misery: whiles hee thinks of their welfare they are plotting his destruction. ( Come let vs slay him,) Who would haue expected this cruelty in them which should bee the Fathers of Gods Church: It was thought a fauour that Reubens intreaty ob­tained for him that hee might be cast into the pit aliue; to die there. He lookt for brethren, and behold [Page 227] murtherers; Euery mans tongue, euery mans fist was bent against him: Each one striues who shall lay the first hand vppon that changeable cote, which was died with their Fathers loue, and their enuie: And now they haue stript him naked, and haling him by both armes, as it were: cast him a­liue into his graue. So in pretence of forbearance, they resolue to torment him with a lingring death: the sauagest robbers could not haue beene more mercilesse: for now besides (what in them lyes) they kill their Father in their brother. Nature if it once degene­rate, grows more monstrous and extreme then a disposition borne to cruelty.

All this while Ioseph wanted nei­ther [Page 228] words nor teares, but like a passionate suppliant (bowing his bare knees to them whom hee dreamed should bow to him) in­treates and perswades by the deer name of their brotherhood, by their profession of one common God, for their fathers sake; for their owne souls sake not to sin against his bloud: But enuy hath shut out mercy; and makes them not on­ly forget themselues to be bre­thren, but men: What stranger can thinke of poore innocent Io­seph, crying naked in that deso­late and drye pit (only sauing that he moystened it with teares) and not be moued? Yet his hard-har­ted brethren sit them down care­lesly, with the noyse of his lamen­tation in their eares, to eat bread; [Page 229] not once thinking by their owne hunger, what it was for Ioseph to be affamisht to death.

Whatsoeuer they thought, God neuer meant that Ioseph should perish in that pit; and therfore he sends very Ismaelites to raunsome him from his brethren; the seed of him that persecuted his brother Isaac, shal now redeem Ioseph from his brethrens persecution: When they came to fetch him out of the pit, hee now hoped for a speedy dispatch; That since they seemed not to haue so much mercy as to prolong his life, they would not continue so much cruelty as to prolong his death.

And now when he hath com­forted [Page 230] himselfe with hope of the fauour of dying, behold death ex­changed for bondage: how much is seruitude to an ingenuous na­ture worse then death? For this is common to all; that, to none but the miserable: Iudah meant this well, but God better: Reuben saued him from the sword; Iudah from affamishing: God will euer raise vp some secret fauourers to his own amongst those that are most malicious: How well was this fa­uor bestowed? If Ioseph had died for hunger in the pit, both Iacob and Iudah, and al his brethren had died for hunger in Canaan. Little did the Ismaelitish merchants know what a tresure they bought carryed and sold; more pretious then al their balmes and mirrhes. [Page 231] Little did they thinke that they had in their hands the Lord of E­gypt, the Iewell of the worlde: Why should wee contemne any mans meannesse, when we know not his destiny?

One sinne is commonly vsed for the vail of another: Iosephs coat is sent home dipped in blood, that whiles they should hide their owne cruelty, they might afflict their Father, no lesse then their brother. They haue deuised this really to punish their olde father for his loue, with so grieuous a monument of his sorrow.

Hee that is mourned for in Ca­naan as dead, prospers in Egypt vnder Potiphar; and of a slaue is [Page 232] made a ruler: Thus God meant to prepare him for a greater charge; he must first rule Potiphars house, then Pharaohs kingdome: his owne seruice is his least good; for his very presence procures a common blessing: A whole fa­mily shall fare the better for one Ioseph: Vertue is not lookt vpon a­like with al eyes: his fellows praise him, his maister trusts him, his mistresse affects him too much. All the spight of his brethren was not so great a crosse to him, as the inordinate affection of his mi­stresse. Temptations on the right hand are now more perilous, and hard to resist, by how much they are more plausible and glorious; But the heart that is bent vppon God, knows how to walke sted­dily [Page 233] and indifferently betwixt the pleasures of sinne; and feares of euill: He saw, this pleasure would aduance him: Hee knew what it was to be a minion of one of the greatest Ladies in Egypt: yet re­solues to contemne it: A good heart will rather lye in the dust, then rise by wickednesse. ( How shall I doe this, and sinne against God.

He knew that all the honours of Egypt could not buy off the guilt of one sinne, and therefore abhors not onely her bed, but her company: Hee that will bee safe from the acts of euill, must wisely auoide the occasions, as sin ends euer in shame when it is commit­ted, so it makes vs past shame that [Page 234] wee may commit it; The impu­dent strumpet dare not onely so­licit, but importune, but in a sort force the modesty of her good seruant; She laies hold on his gar­ment; her hand seconds her tongue.

Good Ioseph found it now time to flee; when such an enemy pur­sued him; how much had hee ra­ther leaue his cloke, then his ver­tue. And to suffer his mistresse to spoile him of his liuery, rather then hee should blemish her ho­nor, or his maisters in her, or God in either of them.

This second time is Ioseph stript of his garment; before, in the vio­lence of enuie, now of lust; before [Page 235] of necessity, now of choice: Be­fore, to deceiue his father, now his maister: for behold, the pledge of his fidelity which hee left in those wicked hands, is made an euidence against him of that which he refused to doe: therfore did hee leaue his cloake because he would not doe that; of which he is accused and condemned be­cause he left it: what safety is there against great aduersaries, when e­uen arguments of innocence are vsed to conuince of euill? Lust yeelded vnto is a pleasant mad­nesse, but is a desperate madnesse when it is opposed: No hatred burnes so furiously as that which arises from the quenched coles of loue.

Malice is witty to deuise accu­sations [Page 236] of others out of their ver­tue, and our owne guiltinesse: Io­seph either pleades not, or is not heard.

Doubtlesse he denied the fact, but he dare not accuse the offen­der: There is not only the praise of patience but oft-times of wise­dome, euen in vniust sufferings: Hee knew that God would finde a time to cleere his innocence, and to reward his chaste faithful­nesse.

No prison would serue him, but Paraohs. Ioseph had lyen ob­scure, and not beene knowne to Pharaoh, if he had not beene cast into Paraohs dungeon: the afflic­tions of Gods chidren turne euer [Page 237] to their aduantages. No sooner is Ioseph a prisoner, then a gardian of the prisoners. Trust and honor accompany him wheresoeuer he is: In his Fathers house, In Poti­phars, in the Iayle, in the Court; still hee hath both fauour and rule.

So long as God is with him, he cannot but shine in spight of men The walls of that dungeon can­not hide his vertues, the yrons cannot holde them. Paraohs offi­cers are sent to witnesse his gra­ces, which hee may not come forth to shew, the cup-bearer ad­mires him in the iayle, but for­gets him in the Court. How easily doth our owne prosperity make vs forget either the deseruings, or [Page 238] miseries of others. But as God cannot neglect his owne, so least of all in their sorrowes. After two yeares more of Iosephs pati­ence; that God which caused him to be lift out of the former pit to be sold; now cals him out of the dungeon to honour. Hee now puts a dreame into the head of Pharaoh. Hee puts the remem­brance of Iosephs skil into the head of the cup-bearer, who to plea­sure Pharaoh, not to requite Ioseph; commends the prisoner, for an interpreter: He puts an interpre­tation in the mouth of Ioseph▪ hee puts this choice into the heart of Pharaoh of a miserable prisoner to make the ruler of Egypt. Beholde one houre hath changed his fet­ters into a chaine of gold, his rags [Page 239] into fine linnen, his stockes into a chariot, his iayle into a pallace, Potiphars captiue into his Maisters Lord; the noyse of his chains into Abrech. He whose chastity refu­sed the wanton allurements of the wife of Potiphar, hath now giuen him to his wife the daugh­ter of Potipherah. Humility goes before honour; seruing and suf­fering are the best tutors to go­uernement. How well are Gods children paide for their patience? How happy are the issues of the faithfull? Neuer any man repen­ted him of the aduancement of a good man.

Pharaoh hath not more preferd Ioseph then Ioseph hath enriched Pharaoh; If Ioseph had not ruled E­gypt [Page 240] and all bordering nations had perished▪ The prouidence of so faithfull an officer hath both giuen the Egyptians their liues, and the money, cattle, lands, bo­dies of the Egyptians to Pharaoh. Both haue reason to be well plea­sed. The subiects owe to him their liues, the King his subiects, and his dominions, The boun­tie of God made Ioseph able to giue more than he receiued. It is like, the seuen yeeres of plentie were not confined to Egypt; o­ther countries adioining were no lesse fruitfull: yet in the seuen yeeres of famine Egypt had corn when they wanted.

See the difference betwixt a wise prouident frugalitie, and a [Page 241] vaine ignorant expence of the be­nefits of God: The sparing hand is both full and beneficiall, wher­as the lauishment is not only em­pty, but iniurious.

Good Iacob is pinched with the common famine. No piety can exempt vs from the euils of neighbourhood. No man can tell by outward euents, which is the Patriarke, and which the Canaa­nite.

Neither doth his profession lead him to the hope of a mira­culous preseruation. It is a vaine tempting of God to cast our selues vppon an immediate prouision, with neglect of common means: His tenne sonnes must now leaue [Page 242] their flockes, and goe down into Egypt, to be their fathers puruey­ours. And now they go to buy of him whom they had folde; and bow the knees to him for his life, which had bowed to them be­fore for his owne life. His age, his habit; the place, the language kept Ioseph from their knowledge; neither had they called off their minds from their folds, to inquire of matters of forren state, or to heare that an Ebrew was aduan­ced to the highest honour of E­gypt▪ But hee can not but know them, whom hee left at their full growth, whose tongue and habit, and number were still one: whose faces had left so deep an impres­sion in his minde, [...]t their vnkind parting: It is wisedome somtimes [Page 243] so to conceale our knowledge, that we may not preiudice truth.

Hee that was hated of his bre­thren for beeing his fathers spye; now accuses his brethren for common spyes of the weaknesses of Egypt; hee could not without their suspicion haue come to a perfect intelligence of his fathers estate, and theirs, if he had not ob­iected to them that which was not. We are not alwaies bound to go the neerest way to trueth. It is more safe in cases of inquisition to fetch far about, that he might seeme enough an Egyptian, hee sweares heathenishly. How little could they suspect, this oath could proceed from the sonne of him, which swore by the feare of his [Page 244] father Isaac? How oft haue sinister respects drawne weake goodnes to disguise it selfe, euen with sins?

It was no small ioy to Ioseph, to see this late accomplishment of his ancient dreame; to see these suppliants (I know not whether more brethren, or enemies) groueling before him in an vn­knowing submission: And now it doth him good to seeme merci­les to them, whom he had found wilfully cruell; to hide his loue from them which had shewed their hate to him, and to thinke how much he fauourd them, and how little they knew it: And as sporting himselfe in their seeming misery, he pleasantly imitates all those actions reciprocally vnto [Page 245] them, which they in despight and earnest, had done formerly to him; hee speakes roughly, reiects their perswasions, puts them in hold, and one of them in bonds. The minde must not alwaies bee iudged by the outward face of the actions. Gods countenance is oft-times as seuere, and his hand as heauy to them whom hee best loueth. Many a one vnder the habit of an Egyptian hath the hart of an Israelite. No song could be so delightful to him, as to hear them in a late remorse condemn themselues before him, of their old cruelty towards him, who was now their vnknown witnesse and Iudge.

Nothing doth so powerfully [Page 246] call home the conscience, as affli­ction; neither need there any o­ther art of memory for sinne, be­sides misery. They had heard Io­sephs deprecation of their euil with teares, and had not pityed him; yet Ioseph doth but heare their mention of this euill which they had done against him, and pities them with teares, hee weeps for ioy to see their repentance, and to compare his safety and happines with the cruelty which they in­tended, and did, and thought they had done.

Yet he can abide to see his bro­ther his prisoner; whom no bonds could bind so strong, as his affe­ction bound him to his captiue: Simeon is left in pawne, infetters; [Page 247] the rest returne, with their corne, with their mony, paying nothing for their prouision; but their la­bour; that they might be as much troubled with the benificence of that strange Egyptian Lord, as before with his imperious suspiti­on. Their wealth was now more irkesom to them, then their need, and they feare God means to pu­nish them more in this superflui­tie of money, then in the want of victuals. ( What is this that God hath done to vs?) It is a wise course to be iealous of our gaine; and more to feare, then desire abundance.

Old Iacob that was not vsed to simple and absolut contentments receiues the blessing of seasona­ble prouision, together with the [Page 248] affliction of that heauy message; the losse of one sonne, and the danger of another. And knowes not whether it be better for him to die with hunger, or with griefe for the departure of that sonne of his right hand: Hee driues off till the last; Protraction is a kinde of ease in euils that must come.

At length (as no plea is impor­tunate as that of famine) Beniamin must goe; one euill must bee ha­zarded for the redresse of another what would it auaile him to see whom he loued, miserable? how iniurious were that affliction to keepe his sonne so long in his eye till they should see each other die for hunger.

The ten brothers returne into [Page 249] Egypt loaded with double mony in their sackes, and a present in their hands; the danger of mista­king is requited, by honest minds with more then restitution. It is not enough to find our own harts clear in suspicious actions, except we satisfie others: Now hath Io­seph what he would, the sight and presence of his Beniamin, whom he therefore borrowes of his Fa­ther for a time, that he might re­turne him with a greater interest of ioy: And now hee feasts them whom hee formerly threatned, and turnes their feare into won­der; all vnequall loue is not parti­all; all the brethren are intertai­ned bountifully, but Beniamin hath a fiue-fold portion: By how much his welcome was greater, [Page 250] by so much his pretended theft seemed more hainous, for good turnes aggrauate vnkindnesses, and our offences are increased with our obligations: How easie is it to finde aduantages, where there is a purpose to accuse: Benia­mins sacke makes him guilty of that whereof his heart was free: Crimes seeme strange to the in­nocent; well might they abiure this fact with the offer of bon­dage and death: For they which carefully brought againe that which they might haue taken, would neuer take that which was not giuen them. But thus Ioseph would yet dally with his bre­thren, and make Beniamin a theefe that he might make him a seruant and fright his brethren with the [Page 251] perill of that their charge, that he might double their ioy, and ama­zednesse in giuing them two bro­thers at once: our happinesse is greater, and sweeter when wee haue well feared, and smarted with euills.

But now when Iudah seriously reported the danger of his old fa­ther, and the sadnesse of his last complaint, compassion and ioy will be concealed no longer; but breake forth violently at his voice and eies. Many passions doe not well abide witnesses, because they are guilty to their owne weake­nesse: Ioseph sends foorth his ser­uants that he might freely weep. He knew he could not say, I am Ioseph, without an vnbeleeuing [Page 252] vehemence.

Neuer any worde sounded so strangely as this, in the eares of the Patriarkes. Wonder, doubt, reuerence, ioy, feare, hope, guilti­nesse stroke them at once. It was time for Ioseph to say Feare not; No maruell if they stood with palenesse and silence before him; looking on him, and on each o­ther: the more they considered, they wondred, and the more they beleeued, the more they feared: For those words ( I am Ioseph,) see­med to sound thus much to their guilty thoughts: You are murthe­rers, and I am a Prince in spight of you; My power and this place, giue me all opportunities of re­uenge; My glory is your shame, [Page 253] my life your danger, your sinne liues together with mee. But now the teares and gratious words of Ioseph haue soone assured them of pardon and loue, and haue bid­den them turne their eies from their sinne against their brother, to their happinesse in him, and haue changed their doubts into hopes and ioyes; causing them to looke vppon him without feare, though not without shame. His louing imbracements cleare their hearts of all iealousies; and hasten to put new thoughts into them; of fauour, and of greatnes: So that now forgetting what e­uill they did to their brother, they are thinking of what good their brother may doe to them: Acti­ons salued vp with a free forgiue­nesse, [Page 254] are as not done; and as a bone once broken is stronger af­ter well setting, so is loue after reconcilement.

But as wounds once healed leaue a scarre behind them; so re­mitted iniuries leaue commonly in the actors a guilty remem­brance; which hindred these bre­thren from that freedom of ioy which else they had conceiued: This was their fault, not Iosephs; who striues to giue them all secu­rity of his loue, and will bee as bountifull, as they were cruell. They sent him naked to stran­gers, he sends them in new and rich liueryes to their Father; they tooke a small summe of money for him, he giues them great trea­sures; [Page 255] They sent his torne cote to his Father; Hee sends variety of costly raiments to his Father by them: They sold him to bee the load of camels; Hee sends them home with chariots. It must be a great fauor that can appease the conscience of a great iniury. Now they returne home rich and ioy­full, making themselues happy to thinke, how glad they should make their father with this news.

That good old man would neuer haue hoped that Egypt could haue affoorded such pro­uision as this. Ioseph is yet aliue: This was not food, but life to him. The returne of Beniamin was comfortable: but that his dead sonne was yet aliue after so many yeeres lamentation, was ti­dings [Page 256] too happy to bee beleeued, and was enough to endanger that life with excesse of ioy, which the knowledge thereof doubled. Ouer-excellent obiects are dan­gerous in their sudden apprehen­sions. One graine of that ioy would haue safely cheared him, whereof a full measure ouer-laies his heart with too much sweet­nesse. There is no earthly plea­sure, whereof wee may not surfet: of the spirituall wee can neuer haue enough.

Yet his eies reuiue his minde, which his eares had thus astoni­shed. When he saw the charets of his sonne, hee beloeued Iosephs life, and refreshed his owne. He had too much before, so that hee [Page 257] could not enioy it: now he saith, I haue enough, Ioseph my sonne is yet aliue.

They told him of his honour, he speakes of his life: life is better than honour. To haue heard that Ioseph liued a seruant, would haue ioied him more, than to heare that hee died honourably. The greater blessing obscures the lesse. Hee is not worthy of ho­nour that is not thankfull for life.

Yet Iosephs life did not content Iacob without his presence: ( I will go downe and see him ere I dye:) The sight of the eye is better then to walke in desires; Good things ple­sure vs not in their being, but in our inioying.

[Page 258] The height of all earthly con­tentment appeared in the mee­ting of these two; whom their mutuall losse had more endeared to each other: The intermission of comforts hath this aduantage, that it sweetens our delight more in the returne, then was abated in the forbearance. God doth oft­times hide away our Ioseph for a time that wee may bee more ioy­ous and thankfull in his recouery: This was the sincerest pleasure that euer Iacob had, which there­fore God reserued for his age.

And if the meeting of earthly friends be so vnspeakeably com­fortable; how happy shall we bee in the sight of the glorious face of God our heauenly Father; of [Page 259] that our blessed redeemer, whom we sold to death by our sins, and which now after that noble Tri­umph hath all power giuen him in heauen and in earth:

Thus did Iacob reioyce when he was to go out of the land of pro­mise to a forreine nation for Io­sephs sake; being glad that hee should loose his country for his sonne. What shall our ioy bee, who must out of this forraine land of our pilgrimage to the home of our glorious inheritance, to dwell with none but our own; in that better and more lightsome Goshen-free from all the incom­brances of this Egypt, and full of al the riches and delights of God? The guilty conscience can neuer [Page 260] thinke it selfe safe: So many yeares experience of Iosephs loue could not secure his brethren of remissi­on: those that know they haue deserued ill, are wont to misinter­pret fauours, and think they can­not be beloued: All that while, his goodnes seemed but concealed, and sleeping malice; which they feared in their Fathers last sleepe would awake and bewray it selfe in reuenge: Still therefore they plead the name of their Father, though dead, not daring to vse their owne: Good meanings can­not be more wronged, then with suspicion: It grieues Ioseph to see their feare, and to find they had not forgotten their owne sinne, and to heare them so passionate­ly craue that which they had.

[Page 261] Forgiue the trespasse of the seruants of thy Fathers God:) What a coniu­ration of pardon was this? What wound could be either so deepe, or so festered, as this plaster could not cure? They say not, the sons of thy Father, for they knew Iacob was dead, and they had degenera­ted; but the seruants of thy Fa­thers God: How much stronger are the bonds of religion, then of nature: If Ioseph had beene ranco­rous, this deprecation had char­med him; but now it resolues him into teares: They are not so ready to acknowledge their old offence as he to protest his loue; and if he chide them for any thing, it is for that they thought they needed to intreat since they might know, it could not stand with the fellow [Page 262] seruant of their Fathers God to harbour maliciousnesse, to pur­pose reuenge. Am not I vnder God? And fully to secure them; he turnes their eyes from themselues to the decree of God, from the action to the euent; as one that would haue them thinke, there was no cause to repent of that which proued so succesfull.

Euen late confession findes for­giuenesse; Ioseph had long agoe seene their sorrow, neuer but now heard their humble acknowledg­ment; Mercy stayes not for out­ward solemnities. How much more shall that infinite goodnes pardon our sinnes when he finds the truth of our repentance.

The affliction of Israell.

AEgypt was long an harbour to the Isra­elites; now it proues a Iayle; the posteri­tye of Iacob findes too late, what it was for their forefathers to sel Ioseph, a slaue in­to Egypt. Those whom the E­gyptians honoured before as Lords, they now contemne as [Page 270] drudges: One Pharaoh aduances whom another labors to de­presse: Not seldome the same man changes copies, but if fauors out-liue one age they proue de­crepit and hartlesse: It is a rare thing to finde posterity heires of their fathers loue: How should mens fauours bee but like them­selues, variable and inconstant? there is no certainety but in the fauour of God, in whom can bee no change; whose loue is entayled vpon a thousand gene­rations.

Yet if the Israelites had beene trecherous to Pharaoh, if dis­obedient, this great change of countenance had beene iust; now the onely offence of Is­rael [Page 271] is that he prospereth; That which should bee the motiue of their gratulation, and friendship, is the cause of their malice. There is no more hatefull sight to a wicked man then the prosperity of the conscionable; None but the spirit of that true harbinger of Christ can teach vs to say with contentment, Hee must increase, but I must decrease.

And what if Israel bee mightie and rich? ( If there be warre, they may ioyne with our enemies, and get them out of the land) Behold they are afraid to part with those whom they are greeued to entertaine: Either staying or going is offence e­nough, to those that seeke quar­rels; There were no wars, and yet [Page 272] they say (If there be wars) The Is­raelites had neuer giuen cause of feare to reuolt, and yet they say, (Least they ioyne to our enemies to those enemies which wee may haue; So they make their certain friends slaues, for feare of vncer­taine enemies. Wickednes is euer cowardly, and full of vniust suspi­tions; it makes a man feare, where no feare is, flye when none pur­sues him. What difference there is betwixt Dauid and Pharaoh; The faith of the one saies, I will not be afraid for tenne thousand that should beset me; The feare of the other saies, Lest if there be warre, they ioyne with our enemies; Therefore should he haue made much of the Israelites, that they might bee his, his fauours might [Page 273] haue made them firme; Why might they not as wel draw their swords for him?

Weake and base minds euer incline to the worse; and seeke safety rather in an impossibility of hurt, then in the likelihood of iust aduantage: Fauors had bene more binding then cruelties, yet the foolish Egyptian had rather haue impotent seruants, then a­ble friends. For their welfare a­lone Pharaoh owes Israel a mis­chiefe; and how will he pay it?

( Come let vs worke wisely;) Leud men cal wicked policies wisdom, and their successe happinesse: Herein Satan is wiser, then they, who both layes the plot, and [Page 274] makes them such fooles as to mi­stake villany and madnesse, for the best vertue.

Iniustice is vpheld by violence, whereas iust gouernments are maintained by loue: Taske-ma­sters must be set ouer Israel; they should not be the true seed of Is­rael, if they were not still set to wrestle with God in afflictions: Heauy burdens must be laid vp­on them: Israel is neuer but loa­ded, the destiny of one of Iacobs sonnes is common to all. To lye downe betwixt their burdens: If they had seemed to breath them in Goshen sometimes, yet euen there it was no small misery to be forrainers, and to liue among Idolaters: But now the name of [Page 275] a slaue is added to the name of a stranger. Israel had gathered some rust in idolatrous Egypt, and now he must be scoured, they had born the burden of Gods an­ger, if they had not born the bur­dens of the Egyptians.

As God afflicted them with a­nother mind then the Egyptians; (God to exercise them, the Egyp­tians to suppresse them;) so cau­ses hee the euent to differ. Who would not haue thought with these Egyptians, that so extreme misery should not haue made the Israelites vnfit both for generati­on and resistance; Moderate exer­cise strengthens, extreame de­stroyes nature: That God which many times workes by contrarie [Page 276] means caused them to grow with depression, with persecution to multiply; How can Gods Church but fare well, since the very ma­lice of their enemies benefits them. O the Soueraigne goodnes of our God that turnes all our poysons into cordials, Gods vine beares the better with bleeding.

And now the Egyptians could be angry with their owne malici­ousnesse, that this was the occa­sion of multiplying them whom they hated, and feared; to see that this seruice gained more to the workmen, then to their maisters; The stronger therefore the Israe­lites grew, the more impotent grew them alice of their persecu­tours. And since their owne la­bor [Page 277] strengthens them, now ty­ranny will try what can bee done by the violence of others: Since the present strength cannot bee subdued; the hopes of succession must be preuented: women must bee suborned to bee murtherers, and those whose office is to help the birth, must destroy it.

There was lesse suspition of cru­elty in that sexe, and more opor­tunity of doing mischiefe. The male children must be borne, and dye at once; what can bee more innocent then the child that hath not liued so much as to cry, or to see light? It is fault enough to bee the son of an Israelite: the daugh­ters may liue for bondage, for lust a condition so much (at the least) [Page 278] woorse then death, as their sexe was weaker. O maruellous cruel­ty that a man should kill a man, for his sexes sake. Whosoeuer hath loosed the reynes vnto cru­elty is easily carryed into incredi­ble extremities.

From burdens they proceed to bondage, and from bondange to blood: from an vniust vexation of their body, to an inhumane de­struction of the fruit of their bo­dy; As the sins of the concupisci­ble part, from sleight motions grow on to foule executions, so doe those of the irascible; there is no sinne whose harbour is more vnsafe then of that of malice: But oft times the power of tyrants answers not their will; euill com­manders [Page 279] cannot alwaies meete with equally mischieuous a­gents.

The feare of God teaches the mid wiues to disobey an vniust command; they well knew how no excuse it is for euill, I was bid­den. God said to their harts, Thou shalt not kill, This voice was louder then Pharaohs. I commend their obedience in disobeying, I dare not commend their excuse, there was as much weakenesse in their answere, as strength in their practise: as they feared God in not killing, so they feared Phara­oh in dissembling: oft times those that make conscience of greater sins are ouertaken with lesse. It is wel and rare if we can come forth [Page 280] of a dangerous action without a­ny soyle; and if we haue escaped the storme; that some after drops wet vs not.

Who would not haue expe­cted that the midwiues should bee murthered for not murthe­ring? Pharaoh could not be so sim­ple to thinke these women trusty yet his indignation had no po­wer to reach to their punishment God prospered the mid-wiues: who can harme them? Euen the not dooing of euill is rewarded with good. And why did they prosper? Because they feared God; Not for their dissimulation but their pietie. So did God re­gard their mercie, that he ragar­ded not their infirmitie. How [Page 281] fondly do men lay the thank vp­on the sin which is due to the ver­tue: true wisedome teaches to di­stinguish Gods actions, and to as­cribe them to the right causes: Pardon belongs to the lye of the Midwiues, remuneration to their goodnes, prosperity to their fear of God.

But that which the Midwiues will not, the multitudes shall do; It were strange if wicked rulers should not finde some or other instruments of violence: all the people must drowne whom the women saued; Cruelty hath but smoked before, now it flames vp; secret practising hath made it shamelesse, that now it dare pro­claime tyranny. It is a miserable [Page 282] state where euery man is made an executioner: there can bee no greater argument of an ill cause then a bloody prosecution, wher­as truth vpholds herselfe by mild­nesse, and is promoted by pati­ence. This is their act, what was their issue? the people must drown their males, themselues are drow­ned: they died by the same means by which they caused the poore Israelitish infants to dye; that law of retaliation which God will not allow to vs, because we are fellow creatures, hee iustly practiseth in vs. God would haue vs reade our sinnes in our iudgements, that we might both repent of our sinnes; and giue glory to his iustice.

Pharaoh raged before, much [Page 283] more now that hee receiued a message of dismission: the moni­tions of God make ill men worse: the waues doe not beat nor roare any where so much as at the banke which restraines them. Corruption when it is checked, growes madde with rage. As the vapour in a cloud would not make that fearefull report, if it met not with opposition. A good heart yeelds at the stillest voice of God: but the most gratious mo­tions of God harden the wicked. Many would not be so desperate­ly settled in their sinnes, if the word had not controlled them. How milde a message was this to Pharaoh, and yet how galling? Wee pray thee let vs goe. God com­mands him that which hee fea­red. [Page 284] Hee tooke pleasure in the present seruitude of Israel: God cals for a release. If the suit had beene for mitigation of labour, for preseruation of their children, it might haue caried some hope, and haue found some fauour, but now God requires that which he knows will as much discontent Pharaoh as Pharaohs cruelty could discontent the Israelites ( Let vs goe) How contrary are Gods pre­cepts to naturall minds? And in­deed, as they loue to crosse him in their practise; so hee loues to crosse them in their commands before, & his punishments after­ward; It is a dangerous signe of an ill heart to feele Gods yoake heauy.

Moses talkes of sacrifice, Phara­oh [Page 285] talkes of worke. Any thing seemes due worke to a carnall minde, sauing Gods seruice: no­thing superfluous, but religious duties. Christ tels vs there is but one thing necessarie: nature tels vs there is nothing but that, need­lesse. Moses speakes of deuotion, Pharaoh of idlenesse. It hath beene an old vse, as to cast faire colours vpon our owne vicious actions, so to cast euill a [...]persions vpon the good actions of others. The same Diuell that spoke in Pharaoh, speakes still in our scoffers, and cals religion hypocrisie, conscio­nable care, singularitie. Euery vice hath a title, and euery vertue a disgrace.

Yet while possible taskes were [Page 286] imposed, there was some com­fort. Their diligence might saue their backes from stripes. The conceit of a benefit to the com­mander, and hope of impunitie to the labourer, might giue a good pretence to great difficul­ties: but to require taskes not fai­sible, is tyrannicall, and doth onely picke a quarrell to punish. They could neither make straw, nor finde it, yet they must haue it. Doe what may be, is tolera­ble; but doe what cannot bee, is cruell. Those which are aboue others in place, must measure their commands, not by their owne wils, but by the strength of their inferiors. To require more of a beast than he can doe, is in­humane. The taske is not done: [Page 287] the taske-masters are beaten: the punishment lies where the charge is; they must exact it of the people, Pharaoh of them. It is the miserie of those which are trusted with authoritie, that their inferiours faults are beaten vpon their backes. This was not the fault to require it of the taske­masters, but to require it by the taske-masters, of the people. Publike persons doe either good or ill with a thousand hands, and with no fewer shall receiue it.

The birth and breediug of Moses.

IT is a wonder that Amram the father of Moses; would think of the marriage bed in so trouble­some a times when he knew hee should beget children either to slauery, or slaughter: yet euen now in the heat of this bondage▪ he marries Iochebed▪ the drowning of his sonnes was not so great an euill, as his owne burning; the thraldom of his daughters not so great an euill, as the subiection vnto sinfull desires. He therefore vses Gods remedy for his sinne; and refers the sequell of his dan­ger [Page 289] to God. How necessary is his imitation for those which haue not the power of containing? Perhaps we would haue thought it better to liue childlesse: but Amram and Iochebed durst not in­curre the danger of a sinne, to a­uoid the danger of a mischiefe. No doubt when Iochebed the mother of Moses saw a man-childe borne of her, and him beautifull and comely, she sell into extreme passion, to thinke that the execu­tioners hand should succeede the Mid-wiues. All the time of her conception, shee could not but feare a sonne; now shee sees him, and thinks of his birth and death at once; her second throwes are more grieuous than her first. The paines of trauell in others are [Page 290] somewhat mitigated with hope, and counteruailed with ioy that a man-child is borne; in her they are doubled with feare; the reme­die of others is her complaint: still shee lookes when some fierce E­gyptian would come in, & snatch her new-borne infant out of her bosome; whose comelinesse had now also added to her affection.

Many times God writes presa­ges of Maiestie and honour, euen in the faces of children. Little did shee thinke, that shee held in her lappe the deliuerer of Israel. It is good to hazard in greatest appea­rances of danger. If Iochebed had said, If I beare a son they will kill him, where had beene the great rescuer of Israel? Happie is that [Page 291] resolution which can follow God hood-winkt, and let him dispose of the euent: When shee can no longer hide him in her wombe, she hides him in her house; afraid lest euery of his cryings should guide the executioner to his cra­dle. And now she sees her trea­sure can be no longer hid, shee ships him in a barke of bulrushes, and commits him to the mercy of the waues, and (which was more mercilesse) to the danger of an Egyptian passenger, yet doth she not leaue him without a gardian.

No tyrannie can forbid her to loue him, whom shee is forbid­den to keepe: Her daughters eies must supply the place of her arms and if the weake affection of a [Page 292] mother were thus effectually carefull, what shall wee thinke of him whose loue, whose compas­sion is (as himselfe) infinite? His eie, his hand cannot but be with vs, euen when wee forsake our selues: Moses had neuer a stronger protection about him, no not when all his Israelites were pit­ched about his tent in the wil­dernesse, than now when he lay sprauling alone vpon the waues: No water, no Egyptian can hurt him. Neither friend nor mother dare owne him, and now God challenges his custodie. When wee seeme most neglected, and forlorne in our selues, then is God most present, most vigilant.

His prouidence brings Pharaohs [Page 293] daughter thither to wash her selfe. Those times looke for no great state: A Princesse comes to bath her selfe in the open stream: she meant only to wash her selfe, God fetches her thither to deli­uer the deliuerer of his people. His designes goe beyond ours. We know not (when wee set our foot ouer our threshold) what hee hath to doe with vs. This euent seemed casuall to this Prin­cesse, but predetermined, and prouided by God, before shee was: how wisely and sweetly God brings to passe his owne purpo­ses in our ignorance and regard­lesnesse. She saw the Arke, opens it, findes the childe weeping; his beautie and his teares had God prouided for the strong perswa­sions [Page 294] of mercy. This yoong and liuely Oratorie preuailed. Her heart is stroke with compassion, and yet her tongue could say, it is an Hebrewes childe.

See heere the mercifull daugh­ter of a cruell father: It is an vn­charitable and iniurious ground to iudge of the childs disposition by the parents. How well doth pitie beseeme great personages? and most in extremities. It had beene death to another to rescue the childe of an Hebrew; in her, it was safe and noble. It is an happie thing when great ones improue their places to so much more charitie as their libertie is more.

Moses his sister finding the prin­cesse [Page 295] compassionate, offers to procure a nurse, and fetches the mother, and who can bee so fit a nurse as a mother? She now with glad hands receiues her childe, both with authority and reward. She would haue giuen al her sub­stance for the life of her sonne; and now shee hath a reward to nurse him. The exchange of the name of a mother for the name of a nurse hath gained her both her sonne, and his education, and with both, a recompence. Religi­on doth not call vs to a weake simplicity, but allows vs as much of the serpent, as of the Doue: Lawfull policies haue from God both libertie in the vse and bles­sing in the successe.

The good Ladie did not breed [Page 296] him as some childe of almes, or as some wretched outcast for whom it might be fauor enough to liue; but as her owne sonne. In all the delicacies, in all the learning of Egypt. Whatsoeuer the Court, or the Schoole could put into him, he wanted not; yet all this could not make him forget that he was and Hebrew. Education workes wondrous changes, and is of great force either way, a little aduance­ment hath so puffed vp some a­boue themselues, that they haue not only forgot their friends, but scorned their parents. All the ho­nours of Egypt could not winne Moses not to call his nurse, mo­ther: or weane him from a wil­ling miserie with the Israelites. If we had Moses his faith, we could [Page 297] not but make his choice. It is onely our infidelity that bindes vs so fast to the world, and makes vs preferre the momentany plea­sures of sinne, vnto that euerlast­ing recompence of reward.

Hee went foorth and looked on the burdens of Israel. What needed Moses to haue afflicted himselfe with the afflictions of others? Himselfe was at ease and pleasure in the Court of Pharaoh. A good heart cannot abide to be happy alone; and must needes, vnbidden, share with others in their miseries. He is no true Mo­ses that is not mooued with the calamities of Gods Church. To see an Egyptian smite an Hebrew, it smote him, and mooued him [Page 298] to smite. Hee hath no Israelitish blood in him, that can endure to see an Israelite striken either with hand or tongue.

Heere was his zeale: where was his authoritie? Doubtlesse Moses had an instinct from God of his magistracie; else how should hee thinke they would haue vnderstood what himselfe did not? Oppressions may not bee righted by violence, but by law. The redresse of euill by a person vnwarranted, is euill. Mo­ses knew that God had called him, he knew that Pharaoh knew it not: therefore he hides the E­gyptian in the sand. Those acti­ons which may bee approoued vnto God, are not alwaies safe [Page 299] with men: as contrarily, too ma­ny things goe currant with men, that are not approoued of God.

Another Hebrew is strucken, but by an Hebrew: the act is the same, the agents differ: neither doth their profession more dif­fer, than Moses his proceedings. Hee giues blowes to the one: to the other, words. The blowes to the Egyptian were deadly; the words to the Hebrew, gentle and plausible. As God makes a diffe­rence betwixt chastisements of his owne, and punishments of strange children: So must wise gouernours learne to distinguish of sinnes and iudgements, accor­ding to circumstances. How mildly doth Moses admonish? [Page 300] Sirs, yee are brethren. If there had beene but any dramme of good nature in these Hebrewes, they had relented: now it is strange to see that being so vni­uersally vexed with their com­mon aduersarie, they should yet vex one another: One would haue thought that a common opposition should haue vnited them more, yet now priuate grudges doe thus dangerously diuide them. Blowes enow were not dealt by the Egyptians, their owne must adde to the violence. Still Satan is thus busie, and Chri­stians are thus malicious, that (as if they wanted enemies) they flie in one anothers faces. While we are in this Egypt of the world, all vnkinde strifes would easily bee [Page 301] composed if wee did not forget that wee are brethren.

Behold an Egyptian in the skinne of an Hebrew: How dog­ged an answer doth Moses receiue to so gentle a reproofe? Who would not haue expected that this Hebrew had beene enough deiected with the common af­fliction? But vexations may make some more miserable, not more humble. As wee see sickenes­ses make some tractable, o­thers more froward; It is no ea­sie matter to beare a reproofe well; if neuer so well tempe­red; no sugar can bereaue a pill of his bitternesse: None but the gracious can say, Let the righteous smite me.

[Page 302] Next to the not deseruing a re­proofe is the well taking of it. But who is so ready to except and ex­claime as the wrong-doer? The patient replies not. One iniurie drawes on another, first to his brother, then to his reproouer. Guiltinesse will make a man stirre vpon euery touch: hee that was wronged, could incline to recon­ciliation: Malice makes men vn­capable of good counsell; and there are none so great enemies to iustice, as those which are ene­mies to peace.

With what impatience doth a galled heart receiue an admoni­tion? This vnworthy Israelite is the patterne of a stomackfull of­fender, first he is moued to chol­ler [Page 303] in himself: then he cals for the authoritie of the admonisher: A smal authoritie will serue for a lo­uing admonition. It is the duty of men, much more of Christians to aduise against sinne; yet this man askes who made thee a Iudge, for but finding fault with his iniury▪ Then, hee aggrauates, and mis­construes; Wilt thou kill mee? when Moses meant onely to saue both. It was the death of his ma­lice onely that was intended and the safety of his person. And last­ly he vpbraids with former acti­ons; Thou killedst the Egyptian: What if he did? What if vniustly? What was this to the Hebrew? Another mans sinne is no excuse for ours: A wicked heart neuer lookes inward to it selfe, but out­ward [Page 304] to the quality of the repro­uer if that affoord exception, it is enough. As a dog runs first to re­uenge on the stone: what matter is it to me who he be that admo­nishes me: let me look home into my self: let me look to his aduise. If that be good, it is more shame to me to be reprooued by an euill man. As a good mans allowance cannot warrant euill, so an euill mans reproofe may remedy euill: If this Hebrew had bin well plea­sed, Moses had not heard of his slaughter; Now in choller all will out; And if this mans tongue had not thus cast him in the teeth with blood, he had beene surpri­sed by Pharaoh, ere he could haue known that the fact was known.

Now he growes iealous, flees [Page 305] and escapes No friend is so com­modious in some eases as an ad­uersary; This wound which the Hebrew thought to giue Moses, saued his life. As it is good for a man to haue an enemy, so it shall be our wisedome to make vse of his most cholericke obiections. The woorst of an enemy, may prooue most soueraigne to our selues. Moses flees, It is no discom­fort for a man to flee when his conscience pursues him not: Where Gods warrant will not protect vs, it is good for the heeels to supply the place of the tongue.

Moses when he may not in Egipt, he will be doing iustice in Midi­an. In Egypt hee deliuers the op­pressed [Page 306] Israelite. In Midian the wronged daughters of Iethro. A good man will be doing good, wheresoeuer he is; His trade is a compound of charity and iustice as therfore euill dispositions can­not bee changed with ayres, no more will good. Now then hee sits him downe by a well in Mi­dian. There hee might haue to drinke, but where to eat he knew not. The case was altered with Moses, to come from the dainties of the court of Egypt, to the hun­ger of the fields of Midian: It is a lesson that al Gods children must learne to take out, to want and to abound. Who can thinke strange of penury, when the great gouer­nour of Gods people once hath nothing? Who would not haue [Page 307] thought in this case, Moses should haue bene hartlesse and sullen; so cast downe with his owne com­plaints, that he should haue had no feeling of others; yet how hote is hee vpon iustice? No ad­uersitie can make a good man neglect good duties, hee sees the oppression of the shepheards, the image of that other hee left behind him in Egypt: The maids, (daughters of so great a peere) draw water for their flockes, the inhumane shepherds driue them away; rudenesse hath no respect either to sexe, or condition; If we liued not vnder lawes this were our case; Might would bee the measure of iustice: we should not so much as enioy our owne wa­ter: vniust courses will not euer [Page 308] prosper: Moses shall rather come from Egypt to Midian to beate the shepheards, then they shall vexe the daughters of Iethro: This act of iustice was not better done than taken. Reuel requites it kind­ly with an hospitall entertaine­ment. A good nature is ready to answer courtesies: we cannot do too much for a thankfull man. And if a courteous heathen re­ward the watering of a sheepe in this bountifull manner, how shal our God recompence but a cup of cold water, that is giuen to a disciple? This sauor hath wonne Moses, who now consents to dwel with him, though out of the Church. Curiositie or whatsoe­uer idle occasions may not draw vs (for our residence) out of the [Page 309] bounds of the Church of God: danger of life may; wee loue not the Church if wee easily leaue it: if in a case of life, we leaue it not (vpon opportunitie) for a time of respite, wee loue not our selues. The worst part of Moses his re­quitall was his wife, one of those whom he had formerly prote­cted.

I doe not so much maruell that Iethro gaue him his daughter (for he saw him valiant, wise, lear­ned, nobly bred) as that Moses would take her; a stranger, both in blood and religion. I could plead for him necessitie: his own nation was shut vp to him; if hee would haue tried to fetch a daughter of Israel, he had endan­gered [Page 310] to leaue himselfe behinde. I could pleade some correspon­dence in common principles of religion; for doubtlesse Moses his zeale could not suffer him to smother the truth in himselfe: he should haue beene an vnfaithfull seruant, if hee had not beene his masters teacher. Yet neither of these can make this match either safe, or good. The euent be­wraies it dangerously inconueni­ent. This choice had like to haue cost him deare: shee stood in his way for circumcision; God stands in his way for reuenge. Though he was now in Gods message, yet might he not be for borne in this neglect. No circumstance, ei­ther of the dearenesse of the soli­citour▪ or our owne ingagement, [Page 311] can beare out a sinne with God: Those which are vnequally yo­ked, may not euer looke to draw one way. True loue to the per­son cannot long agree with dis­like of the religion. He had need to be more than a man, that hath a Zipporah in his bosome, and would haue true zeale in his hart. All this while Moses his affection was not so tied to Midian, that he could forget Egypt. Hee was a stranger in Midian: what was he else in Egypt? Surely either E­gypt was not his home, or a mi­serable one; and yet in reference to it, he cals his sonne Gershom, a stranger there. Much better was it to bee a stranger there, than a dweller in Egypt. How hardly can we forget the place of our a­bode [Page 312] or education, although ne­uer so homely? And if hee so thought of his Egyptian home, where was nothing but bondage and tyrannie, how should wee thinke of that home of ours, aboue, where is nothing but rest and blessednesse?

Moses called.

FOrty yeeres was Moses a cour­tier, and forty yeres (after that) a shepheard: That great men may not be ashamed of honest vocati­ons, the greatest that euer were haue beene content to take vp with meane trades. The con­tempt of honest callings in those [Page 313] which are well borne, argues pride, without wit: How con­stantly did Moses sticke to his hooke? and yet a man of great spirits, of excellent learning, of curious education, and if God, had not (after his forty yeeres ser­uice) called him off, he had so en­ded his daies. Humble resoluti­ons are so much more heroical, as they fall into higher subiects.

There can be no fitter disposi­tion for a leader of Gods people, then constancy in his vnderta­kings, without either wearinesse, or change. How had he learned to subdue all ambitious desires, and to rest content with his ob­scurity. So hee might haue the freedome of his thoughts, and [Page 314] full opportunity of holy medita­tions, hee willingly leaues the world to others, and enuies not his proudest acquaintance of the Court of Pharaoh. Hee that hath true worth in himselfe, and fami­liarity with God, finds more plea­sure in the desers of Midian, then others can doe in the pallaces of Kings.

Whiles he is tending his sheep, God appeared vnto him, God neuer graces the ydle with his visions; when hee findes vs in our callings, we find him in the tokens of his mercy: Satan ap­peares to the idle man in mani­fold tentations, or rather presents himselfe, and appeares not. God was euer with Moses, yet was hee not seene till now. Hee is neuer [Page 315] absent from his, but sometimes he makes their senses witnesses of his presence. In smal matters may be great wonders. That a bush should burne is no maruell, but that it shold not consume in bur­ning, is iustly miraculous: God chooseth not euer great subiects wherein to exercise his power. It is enough that his power is great in the smallest.

When I looke vpon this bur­ning bush with Moses, me thinks I can neuer see a woorthier, and more liuely Embleme of the Church; That in Egypt was the furnace yet wasted not. Since then how oft hath it bene flaming, ne­uer consumed. The same power that enlightens it, preserues it: [Page 316] and to none but his enemies is he a consuming fire; Moses was a great Philosopher, but small skill would haue serued to know the nature of fire, and of the bush: that fire meeting with combusti­ble matter could not but cōsume: If it had beene some solid woood it would haue yeelded later to the flame; but bushes are of so quick dispatch, that the ioy of the wick­ed is compared to a fire of thorns. Hee noted it a while, saw it conti­nued, & began to wonder. It was some maruel how it should come there; but how it should continue without supply, yea without di­minution of matter, was truely admirable: Doubtlesse hee went oft about it, and viewed it on all sides, and now when his eye and [Page 317] mind could meete with no likely causes, so farre off, resolues, I will go see it; His curiosity ledde him neerer, and what could hee see but a bush and a flame which hee saw at first vnsatisfied? It is good to come to the place of Gods presence, howsoeuer; God may perhaps speake to thy heart, though thou come but for nouel­ty: Euen those which haue come vpon curiosity haue beene oft ta­ken: Absence is without hope; If Moses had not come, hee had not beene called out of the bush.

To see a fire not consuming the bush, was much; but to heere a speaking fire, this was more; and to heare his own name out of the mouth of the fire, it was most of [Page 318] all. God makes way for his grea­test messages by astonishment and admiration: as on the contra­ry, carelesnes carries vs to a more proficiency vnder the best means of God: If our hearts were more awfull, Gods messages would bee more effectuall to vs.

In that appearance God meant to cal Moses to come; yet when he is come inhibits him; ( Come not hi­ther) We must come to God, wee must not come too neere him, when wee meditate of the great mysteries of his word, wee come to him: wee come too neere him when we search into his counsels. The Sunne and the fire say of themselues, Come not too neere, how much more the light which [Page 319] none can attaine vnto? We haue all our limits set vs: The Gentiles might come into some outer courts, not into the inmost: The Iewes might come into the inner Court, not into the Temple: the Priests and Leuites into the Tem­ple, not into the Holy of Holies; Moses to the hill, not to the bush. The waues of the sea had not more need of bounds, than mans presumption. Moses must not come close to the bush at all; and where he may stand, he may not stand with his shooes on. There is no vnholinesse in clothes: God prepared them for man at first, and that of skins▪ lest any excep­tion should be taken at the hides of dead beasts. This rite was sig­nificant. What are the shooes [Page 320] but worldly and carnall affecti­ons? If these be not cast off when wee come to the holy place, wee make our selues vnholy▪ how much lesse shold we dare to come with resolutions of sinne? This is not onely to come with shooes on, but with shooes bemired with wicked filthinesse; the touch whereof profanes the pauement of God, and makes our presence odious.

Moses was the sonne of Amram, Amram of Kohath, Kohath of Leui, Leui of Iacob, Iacob of Isaac, Isaac of Abraham. God puts together both ends of his pedigree, I am the God of thy father, and of A­braham, Isaac, Iacob. If he had said only, I am thy God, it had beene [Page 321] Moses his duty to attend awfully; but now that hee saies I am the God of thy Father, and of Abra­ham &c. He challenges reuerence by prescription. Any thing that was our Ancestors, pleases vs; their houses; their vessels, their cote-armour; How much more their God? How carefull should parents be to make holy choises? Euery precedent of theirs are so many monuments and motiues to their posteritie. What an hap­pinesse it is to bee borne of good parents: hence God claimes an interest in vs, and wee in him, for their sake. As many a man smar­teth for his fathers sinne, so the goodnesse of others is crowned in a thousand generations. Nei­ther doth God say, I was the God [Page 322] of Abraham, Isaac, Iacob; but, I am. The Patriarkes still liue after so many thousand yeeres of disso­lution. No length of time can separate the soules of the iust from their maker. As for their bodie, there is still a reall relation betwixt the dust of it, and the soule: and if the being of this part be more defectiue, the being of the other is more liuely, and doth more than recompence the wants of that earthly halfe.

God could not describe him­selfe by a more sweet name than this, I am the God of thy father, and of Abraham, &c. yet Moses hides his face for feare. If hee had said, I am the glorious God that made heauen and earth, that [Page 323] dwell in light inaccessible, whom the Angels cannot behold; or, I am God the auenger, iust and terrible, a consuming fire to mine enemies, heere had beene iust cause of terrour.

But [...]hy was Moses so frighted with a familiar compellation? God is no lesse awfull to his owne in his very mercies. Great is thy mercie that thou maist be feared: for to them, no lesse maiestie shines in the fauours of God, than in his iudgements and iu­stice. The wicked heart neuer feares God but thundring, or shaking the earth▪ or raining fire from heauen; but the good can dread him in his very sun-shine: his louing deliuerances and bles­sings [Page 324] affect them with awfulnes Moses was the true sonne of Iacob, who when hee saw nothing but visions of loue and mercy, could say, How dreadfull is this place?

I see Moses now at the bush hi­ding his face at so milde [...] repre­sentation: heereafter we shall see him in this very mount betwixt heauen and earth, in thunder, lightning, smoke, earth-quakes, speaking mouth to mouth with God, bare faced, and fearelesse: God was then more terrible, but Moses was lesse strange. This was his first meeting with God; fur­ther acquaintance makes him fa­miliar, and familiarity makes him bold: Frequence of conuersation giues vs freedome of accesse to [Page 325] God; and makes vs poure out our hearts to him as fully and as fearelesly as to our friends. In the meane time now at first he made not so much haste to see, but hee made as much to hide his eies: Twice did Moses hide his face; once for the glory which God put vpon him, which made him so shine, that hee could not bee beheld of others; once for Gods owne glory, which he could not behold. No maruell. Some of the creatures are too glorious for mortall eies: how much more when God appeares to vs in the easiest manner, must his glorie needs ouercome vs? Behold the difference betwixt our present, and future estate: Then, the more maiestie of appearance, the more [Page 326] delight: when our sinne is quite gone, all our feare at Gods pre­sence shall be turned into ioy. God appeared to Adam before his sinne with comfort, but in the same forme which after his sinne was terrible. And if Moses cannot abide to looke vpon Gods glory when he descends to vs in mercy, how shall wicked ones abide to see his fearefull presence when he sets vpon vengeance. In this fire hee flamed and consumed not, but in his reuenge our God is a consuming fire.

First Moses hides himselfe in feare, now in modestie. Who am I? None in all Egypt or Midi­an was comparably fit for this embassage. Which of the Israe­lites [Page 327] had beene brought vp a Courtier, a scholar, an Israelite by blood, by education an Egyp­tian learned, wise, valiant, expe­rienced? Yet, Who am I? The more fit any man is for whatsoe­uer vocation, the lesse he thinkes himselfe. Forwardnesse argues insufficiencie. The vnworthie thinkes still, Who am I not? Mo­dest beginnings giue hopefull proceedings, and happy endings. Once before, Moses had taken vpon him, and laid about him; hoping then they would haue knowen that by his hand God meant to deliuer Israel: but now when it comes to the point, Who am I? Gods best seruants are not euer in an equall disposition to good duties. If wee finde diffe­rences [Page 328] in our selues sometimes, it argues that grace is not our owne. It is our frailtie, that those seruices which wee are for­ward to, aloofe off, wee shrinke at, neere hand, and fearefully misse-giue. How many of vs can bid defiances to death, and suggest answers to absent tentati­ons, which when they come home to vs, wee flie off, and change our note, and instead of action, expostulate?

The plagues of Egypt.

IT is too much honour for flesh and blood to receiue a message from heauen, yet here God sends a message to man, and is repulsed: well may God aske, who is man that I should regard him, but for man to aske who is the Lorde, is a bolde and proud blasphemy. Thus wilde is nature at the first; but ere God haue done with Pha­raoh, he will be knowne of him, he will make himselfe knowne by him, to all the world: God might haue swept him away suddenly. How vnworthy is he of life, who with the same breath that hee re­ceiues, [Page 330] denies the giuer of it: But he would haue him conuinced, ere he were punished; First there­fore hee workes miracles before him, then vpon him. Pharaoh was now from a staffe of protection and sustentation to Gods people, turned to a serpent that stung them to death; God shewes him himselfe in this reall embleme; doing that suddenly before him, which Satan had wrought in him by leasure; And now when hee crawles and winds, and hisses, threatning perill to Israel, hee shewes him how in an instant, he can turne him into a sencelesse sticke, and make him if not vse­full, yet fearelesse: The same God which wrought this, giues Satan leaue to imitate it; the first plague [Page 331] that he ment to inflict vpon Pha­raoh, is delusion: God can be con­tent the Diuell should win him­selfe credit, where hee meanes to iudge, and holds the honour of a miracle well lost, to harden an e­nemy, Yet to show that his mira­cle was of power, the others of permission; Moses his serpent de­uours theirs; how easily might the Egyptians haue thought, that he which caused their serpent not to be, could haue kept it from be­ing, and that they which could not keepe their Serpent from de­uouring, could not secure them from being consumed; but wise thoughts enter not into those that must perish. All Gods iudge­ments stand ready, and waite but till they be called for. They need [Page 332] but a watch-word to bee giuen them: No sooner is the rodde lift vp, but they are gone forth into the world, presently the waters runne into bloud, the frogs and lice craule about, and al the other troupes of God come rushing in vpon his aduersaries: All crea­tures conspire to reuenge the in­iuries of God. If the Egyptians looke vpward, there they haue thunder, lightning, hayle, tem­pests, one while no light at all, a­nother while such fearfull flashes as had more terror, then darknes. If they looke vnder them, there they see their waters changed in­to blood, their earth swarming with frogs and grassehoppers: If about them, one while the flyes fill both their eyes and eares, ano­ther [Page 333] while they see their fruites destroyed, their cattell dying, their children dead. If lastly they looke vpon themselues, they see themselues loathsome with lice, painful and deformed with scabs, biles and botches.

First God begins his iudgement with the waters. As the riuer of Nilus was to Egypt in steed of heauen to moisten and fatten the earth; so their confidence was more in it then in heauen; Men are sure to bee punisht most and soonest, in that which they make a corriuall with God. They had before defiled the riuers with the bloud of innocents; and now it appeares to them, in his owne colour. The waters will no lon­ger [Page 334] keepe their counsell: Neuer any man delighted in blood, which had not enough of it, ere his end: they shed but some few streames, and now behold whole riuers of blood: Neither was this more a monument of their slaughter, past, then an image of their future destruction. They were afterwards ouerwhelmed in the redde sea, and now before­hand they see their riuers redde with blood. How dependant and seruile is the life of man, that cannot either want one element, or endure it corrupted; It is hard to say whether there were more horrour, or annoyance in this plague. They complain of thirst, and yet doubt whether they should dye, or quench it with [Page 335] bloud. Their fish (the chiefe part of their sustenance) dyes with in­fection, and infecteth more by being dead. The stench of both is ready to poyson the inhabi­tants; yet Pharaohs curiosity car­ries him away quite from the sense of the iudgement, hee had rather send for his magicians to worke feats, then to humble him­selfe vnder God for the remooual of this plague; And God plagues his curiosity with deceipt, those whom he trusts, shall vndoe him with preuailing; the glory of a second miracle shall be obscured by a false imitation, for a greater glory to God in the sequell.

The rod is lift vp againe, Be­hold, that Nilus which they had [Page 336] before adored, was neuer so be­neficiall as it is now troublesome; yeelding them not onely a dead, but a liuing annoyance: It neuer did so store them with fish, as now it plagues them with frogs; Whatsoeuer any man makes his God, besides the true one, shall bee once his tormenter. Those loathsome creatures leaue their owne element to punish them, which rebelliously detained Isra­ell from their owne. No bed, no table can be free from them, their dainty Ladies cannot keep them out of their bosomes; neither can the Egyptians sooner open their mouthes, than they are ready to creepe into their throats; as if they would tell them that they came on purpose to reuenge the [Page 337] wrongs of their maker: yet euen this wonder also is Satan allowed to imitate. Who can maruell to see the best vertues counterfeited by wicked men, when hee sees the diuell emulating the miracu­lous power of God? The feates that Satan plaies may harden, but cannot benefit. Hee that hath leaue to bring frogs, hath neither leaue, nor power, to take them away, nor to take away the stench from them. To bring them, was but to adde to the iudgement; to remooue them, was an act of mercy. God doth commonly vse Satan in execu­ting of iudgement, neuer in the workes of mercie to men.

Yet euen by thus much is Pha­raoh [Page 338] hardned, and the sorcerers growen insolent. When the di­uell and his agents are in the height of their pride, GOD shames them in a trifle. The rod is lift vp: the very dust receiues life: lice abound euery where, and make no difference betwixt beggers and Princes. Though Pharaoh and his Courtiers abhor­red to see themselues louzie, yet they hoped this miracle would be more easily imitable: but now the greater possibilitie, the grea­ter foile. How are the great won­der-mongers of Egypt abashed that they can neither make lice of their owne, nor deliuer them­selues from the lice that are made. Those that could make serpents and frogs, could not ei­ther [Page 339] make or kill lice; to shew them that those frogs and ser­pents were not their owne work­manship. Now Pharaoh must needs see how impotent a diuell hee serued, that could not make that vermine which euery day ri­ses voluntarily out of corruption. Iannes and Iambres cannot now make those lice (so much as by delusion) which at another time they cannot chuse but produce vnknowing, and which now they cannot auoid. That spirit which is powerfull to execute the greatest things when hee is bidden, is vnable to doe the least when he is restrained. Now these corriuals of Moses can say, This is the finger of God. Yee foolish In­chanters, was Gods finger in the [Page 340] lice, not in the frogs, not in the blood, not in the serpent? And why was it rather in the lesse, than in the greater? Because yee did imitate the other, not these. As if the same finger of God had not beene before in your imitati­on, which was now in your re­straint: As if yee could haue fai­led in these, if yee had not beene only permitted the other. Whiles wicked mindes haue their full scope, they neuer looke vp aboue themselues; but when once God crosses them in their procee­dings, their want of successe tea­ches them to giue God his owne. All these plagues perhaps had more horror than paine in them. The frogges creepe vpon their clothes, the lice vpon their skins, [Page 341] but those stinging hornets which succeed them, shall wound and kill. The water was annoied with the first plague, the earth with the second and third; this fourth fils the aire, and besides corruption brings smart. And that they may see this winged ar­mie comes out from an angrie God, (not either from nature, or chance) euen the very flies shall make a difference betwixt Egypt, and Goshen. He that gaue them their being, sets them their stint. They can no more sting an Israe­lite, than fauour an Egyptian. The very wings of flies are dire­cted by a prouidence, and doe ac­knowledge their limits. Now Pharaoh findes how impossible it is for him to stand out with God, [Page 342] since all his power cannot rescue him from lice and flies.

And now his heart begins to thaw a little: Goe, doe sacrifice to your God in this land; or (since that will not be accepted) Go in­to the wildernesse, but not far: but how soone it knits againe! Good thoughts make but a thorow-fare of carnall hearts, they can neuer settle there: yea his very misse-giuing hardens him the more: that now neither the mur­ren of his cattle, nor the botches of his seruants can stirre him a whit. Hee saw his cattle strucke dead with a sudden contagion; he saw his sorcerers (after their contestation with Gods messen­gers) strucke with a scabbe in [Page 343] their very faces, and yet his heart is not strucke. Who would think it possible that any soule could bee secure in the midst of such va­rietie, and frequence of iudge­ments? These very plagues haue not more wonder in them, than their successe hath. To what an height of obduration will sinne leade a man, and of all sinnes, in­credulity? Amidst all these storms Pharaoh sleepeth, till the voice of Gods mightie thunders, and haile mixed with fire rouzed him vp a little.

Now as betwixt sleeping and waking, hee starts vp, and saies, God is righteous, I am wicked, Moses pray for vs, and presently laies downe his head againe. God hath [Page 344] no sooner done thundring, than hee hath done fearing. All this while you neuer finde him care­full to preuent any one euill, but desirous still to shift it off when he feeles it; neuer holds constant to any good motion; neuer praies for himselfe, but carelesly willes Moses and Aaron to pray for him; neuer yeelds God his whole demand, but higgleth and dodg­eth, like some hard chapman, that would get a release with the cheapest: First, they shall not go; then, goe and sacrifice, but in E­gypt; next, goe sacrifice in the wildernesse, but not farre off; after, goe ye that are men; then, goe you and your children only; at last, goe all saue your sheepe and cattle. Wheresoeuer meere [Page 345] nature is, she is still improuident of future good, sensible of pre­sent euill, inconstant in good purposes, vnable, through vnac­quaintance, and vnwilling to speake for her selfe, niggardly in her grants, and vncheerfull. The plague of the grashoppers start­led him a little; and the more, through the importunitie of his seruants: for when he considered the fish destroied with the first blow, the cattle with the fifth, the corne with the seuenth, the fruit and leaues with this eighth, and nothing now left him but a bare fruitlesse earth to liue vpon, and that, couered ouer with lo­custs, necessitie droue him to re­lent for an aduantage: Forgiue mee this once; take from me this death only. [Page 346] But as constrained repentance is euer short and vnsound; the West winde together with the grashoppers blowes away his re­morse; and now is hee ready for another iudgement. As the gras­hoppers tooke away the sight of the earth from him, so now a grosse darknesse takes away the sight of heauen too: other dark­nesses were but priuatiue, this was reall and sensible. The Egyp­tians thought this night long, (how could they chuse, when it was six in one?) and so much the more, for that no man could rise to talke with other, but was ne­cessarily confined to his owne thoughts: One thinkes, the fault in his owne eies, which hee rubs often times in vaine: Others [Page 347] thinke that the Sunne is lost out of the firmament, and is now with-drawen for euer: Others, that all things are returning to their first confusion: All thinke themselues miserable past reme­die, and wish (whatsoeuer had befallen them) that they might haue had but light enough to see themselues die.

Now Pharaoh prooues like to some beasts that grow mad with baiting: grace often resisted turns to desperatenesse; Get thee from mee, looke thou see my face no more; whensoeuer thou commest in my sight, thou shalt die. As if Moses could not plague him as well in ab­sence: As if hee that could not take away the lice, flies, frogges, [Page 348] grashoppers, could at his plea­sure take away the life of Moses that procured them. What is this but to run vpon the iudge­ments, and runne away from the remedies? Euermore, when Gods messengers are abandoned, de­struction is neere. Moses will see him no more till he see him dead vpon the sands; but God will now visit him more than euer: The fearefullest plagues God still reserues for the vpshot: All the former doe but make way for the last. Pharaoh may exclude Moses and Aaron, but Gods Angell hee cannot exclude: Insensible mes­sengers are vsed, when the visible are debarred.

Now God beginnes to call for [Page 349] the blood they owned him: In one night euery house hath a carcase in it and (which is more grieuous) of their first borne, and (which is yet more fearefull) in an instant. No man could comfort other; euery man was too full of his owne sorrow, hel­ping rather to make the noise of the lamentation more dolefull, and astonishing. How soone hath God changed the note of this tyrannicall people! Egypt was neuer so stubborne in deni­ing passage to Israel, as now im­portunate to intreat it: Pharaoh did not more force them to stay before, than now to depart: whom lately they would not per­mit, now they hire to go. Their rich iewels of siluer and gold [Page 350] were not too deare for them whom they hated; how much rather had they to send them away wealthy, than to haue them stay to bee their executors? Their loue to themselues obtai­ned of them the inriching of their enemies; and now they are glad to pay them well for their old worke, and their present iourney: Gods people had staid like slaues, they goe away like conquerours, with the spoile of those that hated them: armed for securitie, and wealthie for maintenance.

Old Iacobs seuenty souls which he brought downe into Egypt in spight of their bondage & blood­shed, goe foorth six hundred [Page 351] thousand men, besides children. The world is well mended with Israel since he went with his staffe and scrippe ouer Iordan. Tyran­nie is too weake, where God bids Increase and multiplie. I know not where else the good hearbe ouer-growes the weedes; the Church out-strips the world. I feare if they had liued in ease and delicacie, they had not beene so strong, so numerous. Neuer any true Israelite lost by his affliction. Not only for the action, but the time, Pharaohs choice meets with Gods. That very night, when the 130. yeeres were expired, Is­rael is gone, Pharaoh neither can, nor can will to keepe them lon­ger; yet in this, not fulfilling Gods will, but his owne. How [Page 352] sweetly doth God dispose of all second causes, that whiles they doe their owne will, they do his?

The Israelites are equally glad of this haste: who would not be ready to goe, yea to flie out of bondage? They haue what they wished; it was no staying for a second inuitation. The losse of an opportunitie is many times vnrecouerable: The loue of their libertie made the burden of their dough light: who knew whether the variable minde of Pharaoh might returne to a deni­all, and (after all his stubborne­nesse) repent of his obedience? It is foolish to hazard where there is certaintie of good offers, and vncertainetie of continuance. [Page 353] They goe therfore; and the same God that fetcht them out, is both their guide and protector. How carefully doth hee chuse their way? not the neerer, but the safer. He would not haue his people so suddenly change from bondage to warre.

It is the wondrous mercy of God that he hath respect, as to his owne glory, so to our infirmities. He intends them wars heereafter, but after some longer breathing, and more preparation; his good­nes so orders all, that euils are not ready for vs, till wee be ready for them. And as hee chuses, so hee guides their way. That they might not erre in that sandy and vntracked wildernesse, himselfe [Page 354] goes before them: who could but follow cheerefully when hee sees God leade him? He that lead the wise men by a starre, leads Israel by a cloud: That was an higher obiect, therefore hee giues them an higher and more heauenly conduct: This was more earth­ly, therefore he contents himselfe with a lower representation of his presence. A piller of cloud and fire: A piller, for firmnesse; of cloud and fire, for visibilitie and vse. The greater light extin­guishes the lesse, therefore in the day he shewes them not fire, but a cloud: In the night nothing is seene without light; therefore he shewes them not the cloud, but fire: The cloud shelters them from heat by day; the fire digests [Page 355] the rawnesse of the night. The same God is both a cloud and a fire to his children, euer putting himselfe into those formes of gra­cious respects, that may best fit their necessities.

As good motions are long ere they can enter into hard hearts, so they seldome continue long. No sooner were the backes of Is­rael turned to depart, than Phara­ohs heart and face is turned after them, to fetch them backe againe. It vexes him to see so great a com­mand, so much wealth cast away in one night; which now he re­solues to redeeme, though with more plagues. The same ambi­tion and couetousnesse that made him weare out so many iudge­ments, [Page 356] will not leaue him, till it haue wrought out his full destru­struction. All Gods vengeances haue their end, the finall perditi­on of his enemies, which they cannot rest till they haue attai­ned: Pharaoh therefore and his E­gyptians will needs go fetch their bane. They well knew that Israel was fitter to serue than to fight; weary with their seruitude, not trained vp to warre, not furnish­ed with prouision for a field: Themselues captaines and soul­diers by profession, furnished with horses, and chariots of war. They gaue themselues therefore the victory beforehand, and Is­rael either for spoile or bondage: yea the weake Israelites gaue vp themselues for dead, and already [Page 357] are talking of their graues. They see the sea before them; behinde them, the Egyptians: they know not whether is more mercilesse, and are strucken with the feare of both. O God, how couldest thou forbeare so distrustfull a people! They had seene all thy wonders in Egypt, and in their Goshen; they saw euen now thy piller before them, and yet they did more feare Egypt than be­leeue thee. Thy patience is no lesse miracle than thy deliue­rance. But in stead of remoo­uing from them, the cloudy pil­ler remooues behinde them, and stands betwixt the Israelites and Egyptians: as if God would haue said, They shall first ouercome mee, O Israel, ere they touch [Page 358] thee. Wonder did now iustly striue with feare in the Israelites, when they saw the cloud re­mooue behinde them, and the sea remooue before them. They were not vsed to such bulwarkes. God stood behinde them in the cloud; the sea reared them vp walles on both sides them. That which they feared would be their destruction, protected them: how easily can God make the cruellest of his creatures both our friends and patrons?

Yet heere was faith mixed with vnbeleefe. Hee was a bold Isra­elite that set the first foot into the channell of the sea: and euery steppe that they set in that moist way, was a new exercise of their [Page 359] faith. Pharaoh sees all this, and wonders; yet hath not the wit or grace to thinke (though the piller tels him so much) that God made a difference betwixt him, and Israel. Hee is offended with the sea, for giuing way to his ene­mies, and yet sees not why hee may not trust it as well as they. Hee might well haue thought that hee which gaue light in Go­shen, when there was darknesse in Egypt, could as well distin­guish in the sea: but hee cannot now either consider, or feare: It is his time to perish. God makes him faire way, and lets him run smoothly on till hee be come to the midst of the sea; not one waue may rise vp against him to wet so much as the hoofe of his [Page 360] horse. Extraordinary fauours to wicked men are the fore-runners of their ruine.

Now when God sees the E­gyptians too farre to returne, he findes time to strike them with their last terrour: they know not why, but they would returne too late. Those Chariots in which they trusted, now faile them, as hauing done seruice e­nough to carry them into perdi­tion. God pursues them, and they cannot flie from him. Wic­ked men make equall haste both to sinne, and from iudgement: but they shall one day finde that it is not more easie to runne into sinne, than impossible to runne away from iudgement: the sea [Page 361] will shew them, that it regards the rod of Moses, not the scepter of Pharaoh; and now (as gladde to haue got the enemies of God at such an aduantage) shuts her mouth vpon them, and swal­lowes them vp in her waues, and after shee hath made sport with them a while, casts them vp on her sands, for a spectacle of tri­umph to their aduersaries.

What a sight was this to the Israelites, when they were now safe on the shore to see their ene­mies come floating after them vpon the billowes, and to finde among the carcases vpon the sands, their knowen oppressors, which now they can tread vpon with insultation. They did not [Page 362] crie more loud before, than now they sing. Not their faith, but their sense teaches them now to magnifie that God after their deliuerance, whom they hardly trusted for de­liuerance.