Haman in his bitter hatred of the Iewes may bee invited to the Queenes banquet but little knoweth hee how neere mischiefe is unto him Herod went on a while stretching out his hand against Peter and Iames but little knew he that God was preparing lice to eat him up Shemei cursed David with an horrible curse and carried it a great while after Davids death but at length he knew that hee had spoken it against his owne life And most memorable was that example of the Iewes who carried the death of the Sonne of God forty yeares and never bethought themselves but when they thought all was forgotten then came the Lord like a lion upon them and teared and spoiled and paid them once for all and wasted and scattered them with so fearefull a curse as never befell any Nation under heaven the which lieth upon them and all their posterity even till this day Let this move all men to feare to offer the least reproach or injurie to the least of Gods Children Wise men are afraid to incurre the Kings indignation and therefore it is said that in Hesters time the feare of the Iewes fell upon the land so let the feare of Gods children fall upon thee whosoever hast formerly distasted them and let it binde thy hands and thoughts from conceiving or acting the least evill or hard measure against them Vse 1. To comfort the Church of God in these threatning times when Gebal and Ammon and Amalek have gathered and combined their forces against this citie of God For 1. If we looke towards God he hath undertaken to revenge the just quarrels of his people that if themselves would put up the wrongs and oppressions inflicted by the adversaries yet the Lord will not put them up or passe by them without revenging them Adde hereunto that he hath written in a booke the ruine of her foes neither can they prevaile in their purposes so long as the Lord turneth an enemie and fighteth against them that provoke him Let the enemies lift up their heads and hands aloft and speake presumptuously against the mountaines of Israel yet feare not worme Iacob nor faint thou citie of God thou hast the hand of the highest lifted up for thee and the arme of the Almighty stretched out for thy defence and safety 2. If we looke to the enemies they are many and mighty but Amalekites we have to doe with cruell enemies but accursed in their persons in their enterprises and in all the wicked meanes of accomplishing the same and if we looke a little into the resemblance we shall see that as Romish Amalek have notably expressed the like cruelty with these in our text so shall they meet with the same certaine perdition they being written by God to destruction as truly as the former For 1. Amalek signifieth a smiting people and of all Religions never was any so fierce or smiting as Romish Amalek their cruelty transcendeth the barbarous cruelty of Turkes or Scithians no degrees of men could avoid their strokes with both their swords they make no difference of men but strike at Princes and people Kings and kingdoms they smite the living and the dead and make no bones to blow up three whole kingdomes at once with one terrible blow or stroke The blowes of the old Amalekites were gentle and soft to the blowes of this smiting Amalek 2. Amalek then came forth against Israel presently upon their deliverance from Pharaoh presently upon the fruition of Manna from heaven and waters out of the rocke Amalek cannot endure Gods grace to Israel in those means of their sustentation nor yet in the pillar of the cloud and fire for their safety and direction Even so the Romish Amalekites presently encampe themselves against the people of God so soone as ever they are gotten out of the darknesse and bondage of Egypt Wilfull enemies are they against the grace of God and against the word of his grace which is the Mannah and Water of life for our refection thorow this our wildernesse 3. Amalek was the first enemie that Israel had after their comming out of Egypt and waged war against Israel to hinder them from going into Canaan and not onely by force but by fraud they spoile the people of God for they come as Grashoppers in multitude and destroy the fruit of the earth and leave no food for Israel so as Israel was exceedingly wasted Even so the Romish Amalek and Antichrist was one of the first enemies of the Church of the new Testament he began in his forerunners in the Apostles daies presently after our redemption wrought by Iesus Christ from the hellish Pharaoh and ever since her rise hath laid in the way of the Israel of God to hinder them from the heavenly Canaan and hath by force and fraud wasted the Church sending into our kingdomes besides forcible instruments of violence and infinite bloudshed innumerable armies of seducing Priests and Iesuits who would have left the people of God no food by the word and Sacraments and not only robbed them of their spirituall meanes but in their temporall state by crafty conveyances carving to themselves whatsoever fat or sweet the kingdomes of the earth have affoorded 4. Amalek forgetteth all kindred and all bonds and respects of Nature they regard not that they were of the same bloud with Israel which might have beene some restraint to their fury So the Romish Amalekites forget all naturall bonds and most heathenishly lay themselves in the vaults caves of blacke darknesse for the destruction of their owne naturall and loving Prince with purpose to spare neither root nor branch Old Amalek would eat up and destroy their enemies countrey these Amalekites like so many Vipers would eat up the bowels of their owne mother and native country Duke Medina his sword knew no difference betweene a Protestant and a Papist no more doth the powder and iron barres but send up suddenly to heaven as in a fiery chariot even them of their owne Religion such fiery zeale as carried Alphonsus Diazius out of one kingdome into another to kill his owne brother Iohn Diazius with his owne hands for surenesse only because he was a Protestant Old Amalek cannot equall these Savages and Monsters with whom no respect of age or sex no degree of honour or learning no plea of Religion nor Iustice no instinct of humanity or manhood it selfe can prevaile for a drop of mercy or pitie from them 5. Amalek commeth cowardly upon Israel and smiteth the hinmost and falleth upon the women and children in their fainting and wearinesse The same course doe the Romish Amalekites take in their plots for seduction and destruction Their seducing Priests fall upon the weaker sex and sort as the devill did at first and overcome first the weake and faint ones such as lag after their colours as cowardly as the old Amalekites encountred Israel so also doe these Nay they come in warlike manner after they had declared
for Amalek was of the same bloud and neere kinred with Israel Amalek was the sonne of Eliphaz the sonne of Esau by Tymnah his Concubine as Esau and Iacob were brethren so as they forgetting bloud and kinred nourish an unnaturall wrath and raise an unnaturall war against the people of God 2. It was causelesse we reade not of any cause given them by Israel but such an old canker as was from the beginning in Cain against his brother Abel such an inbred envie of Gods mercy towards his servants joyned with a malicious desire of spoyling them resteth with wicked men at this day that some of them will not looke on a godly man so much as on a mastive or if they doe it is with a Cains countenance cast downe on their brethren Yet can they devise no cause more than Amalek could only God giveth more testimony to Israel than to Amalek 3. As it was without cause so it was without example Amalek was the first enemie that set upon Israel after they came out of Egypt this began to all the rest and were first in the unjust vexation of Israel and therefore God will make them examples to all nations under heaven according to that prophecie of Balaam Numb 24.20 Hee looked on Amalek and said Amalek was the first of the Nations namely that came out against Israel But his end shall be destruction 4. It was Crafty and Cowardly done they give Israel no warning nor offer faire termes of war but steale upon them and fall upon the weakest and when they were weake and weary and scattered the remnant of Israel Deuteronomie 25.20 Thus because they ioyne with force fraud in spoyling Israel the Lord taketh his peoples part and scattereth them with a terrible revenge Doct. In this dreadfull menace of so severe a revenge against Amalek wee note that the destruction of all the enemies of Gods people shall be both certaine and severe as might specially be exemplified in Pharaoh Haman Zenacherib Herod Iudas Iulian and other noted enemies whom neither greatnesse nor power nor any other meanes could save from the severest strokes of Gods revenge for 1. As Amalek riseth up against the people of God so doe all the rest of the enemies and this neere relation betweene God and his people maketh this sinne out of measure sinfull and procureth a most severe revenge How furiously doe great Princes vse to revenge upon those that deface their Images in their coines But there is not the meanest of Saints upon whom this great King of glory hath not stamped and engraven his owne Image With what severity are the lawes executed upon Burglaries that breake into mens houses to rob and spoile especially upon sacrilegious theeves that breake into and rob Churches and Oratories The Church is the house of God and the Temple of God if any man destroy the Temple of God him will God destroy How fiercely did David revenge upon Hanun and his countrey for offering abuse to his servants and are not the Lords servants as neere and deare to him as Davids servants were to their Lord and yet there is a neerer relation for the Church is the Lords spouse his wife the delight of his eies What saith Ahashuerosh of Haman that proud Amalekite will he wrong the Queene in my sight and immediatly they covered his face Much more shall their faces be covered with shame that wrong the Spouse of Iesus Christ before his face 2. The malice of the enemie is levelled against God whatsoever they pretend the ground of the hatred is God himselfe the light the Image and grace of God against whom they reach as high as they can This is directly noted in Amalek who yet had other pretenses Deut. 25.18 He feared not God and he that feareth not to wrong Gods people feareth not God himselfe Now because wicked men are fighters against God himselfe in his people and touching them they poare in the apple of his eie he taketh all the wrong done to them as done against himselfe and bringeth the mischiefe as an arrow shot upward upon their owne heads with such severitie as is due to the high blasphemous and stout Giants who challenge the Lord himselfe into the field 3. The iustice of God cannot but bring perdition upon his enemies 2 Thess. 1.6 It is iust with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you They are mercilesse to the Church and the Lord shutteth up his mercy from them as they have measured to others hee measureth unto them What law can be more iust than the law of retaliation and requitall The Tyrants themselves cannot but acknowledge the iustice of it as Adonibezek As I have done so God hath rewarded me Now if it be just in the Lord to bring the crueltie of a wicked man executed upon other as wicked as himselfe upon his owne head which was the case of Adonibezek how much more in the fierce revenge of the wickeds malice against the innocent servants of God 4. The Lord himselfe undertaketh to see execution done upon the wicked as here upon Amalek and therefore it shall bee done to purpose For 1. God writeth in a booke of remembrance all the cruelties of wicked enemies against his people as here in Amalek both in respect of God to punish of Iosuah to revenge and of Israel to rejoyce in the Lords care and partaking with them 2. God writeth their persons to destruction partly by his threatning Gen. 12.3 I will curse them that curse thee Ier. 3.2 Israel is an hallowed thing all that eat it shall offend evill shall come on them saith the Lord. And partly by his oath for the Lord hath sworne as against the rich men of Israel that oppressed the poore by the excellencie of Iacob Surely I will never forget any of their works neither can remember them but to destroy their names and blot out their memories from under Heaven Vse 1. To terrifie the enemies of the Church seeing their hatred of Gods people is a token unto them of perdition and nothing can save them from the curse of God and that irrevocable sentence Ezech. 35.5 Because thou hast a perpetuall hatred and put the children of Israel to flight as I live saith the Lord I will prepare thee unto bloud and bloud shall pursue thee Which was no truer against Mount Seir than shall be certainly verified of all the enemies of God and his people Now whereas most men harden themselves against such burdens of the word of the Lord by sundrie delusions and misconceits it will not bee amisse to meet with some of them that the rubs being removed and the way cleered this our exhortation may be the more successefull Many sowre enemies of the Church suppose themselves out of the reach of this reproofe because they doe not by open force waste the Church of God as Saul did nor are up in armes against it as Turks and Papists and such as stand in open hostilitie against
Write this Moses a Prophet of God Hee must make Canonicall Scripture of it And being so written it is unalterable and permanent It is sealed with the Kings ring as were the lawes of the Medes and Persians and is irrevocable 2. What must hee write This that is the whole narration of Gods dealing for his people against the Amalekites 1. De rebus gestis What God had done in the miraculous defeating of them already by the power of Moses his prayer 2. De rebus gerendis What God had further to doe in the finall destruction of this cursed Nation 3. Where must Moses write this In a booke Quest. What booke is this Answ. Some thinke it a booke now missing although the Scriptures yet extant be sufficient but this booke was no other than this present historie of Exodus and other his historicall Commentaries in his five bookes in the which this same storie is more fully repeated as Deut. 25.17 4. Why must he write this in a booke for a remembrance Israel saw the great works of God at least all Israel could not but heare of this and yet this is not enough it must be written to live in their memories and in the eyes of their posterities and after-generations Ob. But seeing Israel had many great and miraculous deliverances besides and above all this why is this so directly appointed to be written in a booke above the rest Answ. Israel had received a farre greater deliverance a little before from the Egyptians chasing them in the bottome of the sea and the Lord would not have this deliverance drowned in that but would have a thankfull memory of this also preserved and would have the glory of it maintained even above other great workes both by a booke and an altar and by a name God appointed it to be enrolled in parchment and Moses enrolles it in the stones of his Altar 2. Other great workes were lesse dependant and more transient in the present passages of them but this is dependant and must bee registred for future memory and use for divers passages of Scripture depend upon it and not only the present people of God then living but even the after ages descending of them must take knowledge of this fearefull sentence denounced against Amalek for these ends 1. That they might never make league or peace with them all their daies because the whole Nation stood accursed before the Lord. 2. That they might be ready in aftertimes whensoever God should command their kings to offer themselves cheerefully to the execution of this sentence in the utter extirpation of this hatefull people 3. That they should ascribe the honour of truth and iustice to the Lord when in aftertimes they should see King Saul reiected for failing in this execution and not destroying those sinners the Amalekites as the Lord had commanded him and the kingdome given to David who was better than he in that he effected the Lords whole decree in doing what Saul had omitted 1 Sam. 30.17 2. Rehearse it to Ioshua Quest. Why to him Ans. Because Ioshua must be Moses his successor and served to these two purposes 1. That hee for his time also should alwaies stand out in hostility against them not as a revenger of private wrongs and iniuries offered them but to beare in minde and publiquely to execute the iudgements of God which were charged upon them 2. That it might be an encouragement to him who was to bee the Lords Captaine and to leade out his people in the Lords battells against all the rest of the Nations in that hee seeing these enemies which made the first attempt and onset upon Israel so mightily revenged by God might hence assure his faith that God would goe on with him as he had now begun untill hee had given them actuall and full possession of that good land which he had promised them so long and so often Now from this first part of the Text wee may note 1. That in our way to heavenly Canaan we must make account of many Amalekites as Israel cannot set forth towards Canaan but Amalek will meet them Israel going into Egypt had no enemies but in their way to Canaan never wanted them A man may goe to hell merily and never meet with Amalekites to hinder him hee hath wind and tide with him But let all the Israel of God resolve in their way to meet with Amalek to fight with Amalek to overcome Amalek else there is no hope of ever seeing Canaan wee must not expect rest till we be thorow the Wildernesse 2. We hence learne to write up Gods mercies and deliverances in a booke of remembrance and as Israel keepes a Register and Catalogue of Gods mercies and favours towards us our friends our countrey our Prince our Magistrates and Ministers yea build up altars in our hearts to hold the mercies of God before our eies For 1. Nothing can more hearten our faith than the view of the monuments of Gods favour and gracious dealing of God with us 2. The renewing of them upon our selves and memorie perpetuateth every gift of God and makes us as thankfull as if we had newly received them 3. Nothing doth more binde the Lords hands from doing us good than the oblivion of his mercies when as every thankfull acknowledgement of old favours is but the invitation of a new so as it is a gainefull dutie Many have beene our deliverances publique and private of the Church and kingdome of our Prince and people of our own persons and estates when many Amalekites have risen against us But where are our bookes of remembrances where are our Altars or our Sacrifices where is our Iehova Nissi in which we proclaime God to be our banner and covert as the words import It was but one of ten of the Lepers that returned to give thankes for his cleansing For I will utterly put out the name of Amalek from under heaven In this second part of the text are two things 1. The Author of the reuenge 2. The severitie of it The Author or person executing this reuenge is the Lord who saith here I will doe it His arme is strong and power unresistable Who can turne him backe Yea although he appointed and raised meanes to doe it as Saul and David yet hee challengeth the revenge to be his owne 2. The severitie of this revenge in that the Lord will utterly destroy him with a totall and finall destruction and is not satisfied in overthrowing the kingdome and dominion only unlesse he put out the name and memorie of them from under heaven All which noteth a great detestation and an utter abolishing of this people Quest. Why what cause was there of such severitie in this execution Answ. The cause was the fierce wrath of Amalek against Gods people the Israelites if Amalek bee fierce against the people of God God will bee fierce against Amalek Now the fierce wrath of Amalek appeared against Israel because 1. It was unnaturall