his All-powerfull blood Fourthly this laying on the hand shewed that men bringing Sacrifices to God should rather sacrifice themselues and all their exorbitant affections than that beast For manie are content to giue their goods to God but themselues to the deuill which God abhorreth Lastly this Ceremonie taught them of what minde they should be when they offered namely of this that they thought the fauours and mercies of God so great and gracious towards them that if they should euen offer themselues to the death for him and indéede dye as that beast must yet no recompence would that be worthy such a louing Lord and answerable to such his great kindnesse When it is said in the Text that such sacrifice should be axcepted to the Lord to be his atonement vers 4. and in the 9. vers for a sweet sauour vnto the Lord or a sauour of rest which pacifieth the anger of the Lord these promises being no deceiuings of men but true as the Promise-maker is euer true We must note and consider that there was a satisfying power in those Legall sacrifices whereby the right Offerer was loosed and clâ—ered from guilt in the sight of God not that brute creatures of theÌ„selues could doe thus but as they were true figures of Christ and grace by him to be obtained and had sacramentally Therefore they satisfied and helped or reconciled to God as at this day we are washed sacramentally by Baptisme Profitable then no further but as they were exercises to true repentance and faith that sinners might learne to feare the wrath of God and to séeke saluation in Christ and Christ onely Seuenthly the burnt Offering was slaine to fore shew the death of Christ O fooles and slowe of heart saith our Sauiour to beleeue all that the Prophets haue spoken Ought not Christ to haue suffered those things to enter into his glorie And he began at Moses all the Prophets throughly interpreted vnto them c. Now thinke with your self wherin Moses that is the Law did so shew the death of Christ as by these deathes and killings of the Sacrifices But who offred the slaine sacrifice any but the Priest No that so it might be shadowed how that there is no power in man to please God but by the chiefe and high Priest Christ Jesus of whom the Leuiticall Priest was a type and a figure Eightly the Priests sonnes offered the blood and sprinkled it round about vpon the Altar that is by the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation The blood noting the death of Christ and the sprinckling the preaching of it through the world Ninthly the burnt Offering was flayed and the skinne plucked off then was it cut in peeces vers 6. Hereby was noted the great and gréeuous bitternesse of Christ his Passion who should for maÌ„s sake be stripped-out of all humane helpe and made as bare and naked of all worldly glory shew credite and estimation with men as this Sacrifice was turned out of his skinne Remember what you read in the Psalme spoken of Christ in the person of Dauid I am a worme and no man a shame of men and the contempt of the people All they that see mee haue me in derision they make a mowe and nodde the head saying He trusted in the Lord let him deliuer him let him saue him seeing he loueth him And so foorth as followeth in the Psalme Adde vnto it what you read in Esay He hath neither forme nor beautie when wee shall see him there shall be no forme that we should desire him He is despised and reiected of men c we hid our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not Both which Prophecies are Expositions of this shadow may truly tell vs how his skinne was plucked of An other vse there might be to the partie that Offered the burnt Sacrifice euen to teach him to pull-off his skinne and to offer himselfe vp to the Lord flayed and without skinne that is without all counterfeit and bypocriticall shewes without all earthly vaine and proud confidence in himself or any workes or vertue or worth whatsoeuer in him but naked and bare to present himselfe to his God that is with a single a simple a true and a faithfull heart boasting of no desert but humbly crauing mercy and pardon and life for the true Sacrifice sake Christ Iesus who in time should come so suffer for mans sins to set him frée And surely thus still must wée be flayed skinned in all our prayers approachings to God or else we shall deceiue our selues be disappointed of our desire The proud Pharisce in the Gospell was not thus but came with his skinne on and let his example teach vs. The poore Publican was flayed and came with skinne off let it comfort and incourage vs. Tenthly your Chapter saith And the sonnes of Aaron the Priest shall put fire vpon the Altar and lay the wood in order vpon the fire Then the Priests Aarons sonnes shall lay the parts in order the head and the kall vpon the wood that is in the fire vpon the Altar In that body and head and all was laid in the fire it might note how whole Christ should suffer for vs that is Christ wholy both in body and soule for our bodies and soules that had sinned and so you know Christ did verifying and fulfilling the Figure Againe by the head might be vnderstood himselfe and by the parts his Church and members all in the fire all burnt together that it might be shewed the suffering of Christ to belong to his Chosen both in fruite and sense The fruite is his taking away of their sins The sense is their suffering also with him for him which is fit when it shall be his blessed pleasure and alotted to vs but in mercie that so suffering with him we might also reigne with him eternally in his Kingdome The Disciple is not greater than his Master c. Matth. 10. 24. And Blessed is the man whom God correcteth therefore refuse not thou the chastising of the Almightie For hee maketh the wound and bindeth it vp He smiteth and his handes make whole againe c. So saith S. Iames againe Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tryed hee shall receiue the crowne of Life which the Lord hath promised to them that loue him Thirdly in the fire might be shadowed the power of the Spirit and this Lesson so learned that as the fire gaue those Legall Sacrifices their sauour was as it were the sawce that made them taste well so is the Spirit to all our duties the means to season them and giue them liking with the Lord. Pray then without Spirit and what is it Heare the Word preached without Spirit and what doe you Receiue the Sacrament without this working Spirit and how can you doe well Marke it
themselues as if they had béene Egiptians borne and not Christians acquainted with the booke of God Whom I make no doubt if they hold on their way but the Red-sea will deuoure as it did these that is the Justice of God will destroy them for their sinne Till then patience and a continuall comfortable remembrance that God sitteth at the stearne which surely is enough to any that knoweth how swéete he is to all that fast and faithfully cleaue vnto him 5 What is the euent to kéepe them vnder is the plot but will it hold O comfort O comfort I say againe No no their deuise will not hold for the Lord sitting in the heauens laughed all their counsels to scorne And the more they vexed them the more they multiplied and grew saith the text A thing neuer to be thought of enough So hath it béene so shall it be to the worlds end with all faithfull seruants of God as shall be fit In those bloodie persecutions after Christes death by the Romaine Emperours what strange torments were deuised to kéepe downe religion and religious professours men and women They plucked off their skinnes quicke they boared out their eies with wimbles they broiled them aliue on Gridâ—rons they scalded them in boiling liquors they enclosed them in barrels and driuing great nailes through tumbled them downe mountaines till their owne blood so cruellie drawne out stifled and choaked them in the barrell womens breasts were seared off with burning irons their bodies rent and their ioynts racked with many and many gréeuous paines But would all this serue no no euen as héere so then the more they were vexed the more they multiplied through the mercie and power of him that gaue them strength to endure the paine and to scorne the malice So that S. Augustine saith of those times Ligabantur vrebantur cadebantur et tamen multiplicabantur they were bound they were burned they were beaten c. and yet they multiplied The bloud of Martyrs is the séede of the church and bringeth forth fruite as séede dooth some thirtie some sixtie and some a hundred fold as God pleaseth His arme shortneth not at any time wée all know and therefore what hée will suffer the deuill and his instruments to doe that they can and no more They haue worne the crowns of Kingdomes at last to the ioy of thousand thousands in despite of all malice who were thrust sore at that they might fall and from an honourable rising could not the malice of all Iosephs brethren kéepe him Therefore saith the text they were the more grieued against the children of Israel And so vsuallie falleth out to those that séeke their securitie by wicked wayes God crosseth and their deuises turne to their owne further woe and discontentment according to the common prouerbe Malum consilium consultori pessimum euill counsell is alwaies worse to him that giueth it 6 Will they then giue ouer their wicked waies and suffer them to increase whom God will haue to increase No but they adde vnto their crueltie more and more in such sort as the Israelites are weary of their liues by sore labour in clay and bricke and in all worke in the field with all manner of bondage which they laide vpon them most cruelly that their iniquity might bée full they deuise a crueltie neuer heard of before to send for the Midwiues and to deale with them to destroy the male-children of the Israelites at the birth Which may rightly teach vs to beware euer how wée begin to do euill for feare one euill pull on another as héere it did and in Dauid againe when adultery drew on murder of an innocent man and a faithfull subiect But did the Midwiues obey his commandement No they feare God saith the text and did not as the king commanded them but preserued aliue the men-children iustly commended for that they rather obeyed God than man They considered what stoode with the law of God which to them was knowne and not what pleased a mis-led minde of a gouernour Kings are to bée obeied and pleased but in the Lord. And if further they will force vs our bodies are theirs to sustaine vndeserued paine but both bodie and soule shall die if wee sinne against God This did those happie men know and followe when they were threatned and at last thrust into that fierie fornace by great crueltie saying as you reade there Our God is able to deliuer vs if it please him but if not yet know O King that wée will not doe this thing béeing wicked idolatry to worship the moulten image The reason of the Midwiues refusall is alledged the feare of God And surelie wheresoeuer this banke is the waters of vngodlinesse are held out from euerflowing as where the banke is not they doe When Abraham once entertained the thought that in the king of Gerar his courte the feare of God was not streight hée doubted violence both to himselfe and to his wife and so offended in saying she was his sister This feare made Ioseph that he durst not sinne against his maister or against his brethren when his father was dead This feare is the beginning of wisedome and a good vnderstanding haue all they that doe thereafter the praise of it endureth for euer Still then labour to kéepe this feare in your heart and you â—hall reape a comfortable reward of it at the last 7. What then became of the Midwiues how escaped they the Kings wrath disobeying his commaundement Surely the text saith the King sent for them and they by an vntruth excused themselues saying The Hebrewe women were so strong that they were deliuered before anie midwife came Where in the King we may learne this good not to condemne anie before we heare them for if so wicked a man as this King was had yet that iustice to send for them and to heare their defence much more should wee that knowe more doe the like Manie swelling tales and strange reports haue féeble proofe when hearing is graunted Secondlie in the Midwiues we may sée the weakenes of our natures for they should not haue lyed for anie feare and therefore though a good déede be done yet it is ill defended Wee may not lie saith the scripture to iustifie God much lesse for anie other cause This weakenes then in these good women was like a spot in a faire face and S. Augustine saith of them Viues conseruare natos fuit miserecordiae at pro vita sua mentit as esse opus fuit infirmitatis quam Deus gratia condonat Homines veró non nisi ingrati et proterui possunt adexemplum imitationis sibi proponere To preserue aliue the children was a worke of mercie but to lie for the safetie of their liues was a worke of infirmitie which yet God pardoned by grace and none sauing vnthankfull and crooked persons will euer propose it to themselues to be imitated 8. But the text saith God prospered
beginning they entended for this Ladie purposed onelie to walke and wash her but God had a worke of mercie to doe by her her purpose was one thing and the Lords was another Often thus Trulie so often as any man or woman heare their owne name they are accused of these things if they be guiltie A promise so broken being made to God in the face of the congregation will trouble the soule sore at the houre of death 11. Finally wée sée plainely by this whole discourse how mans counsell can not hinder that which God hath determined shall come to passe For there is no counsell no wisdome no strength against the Lord. Moses must liue and become a Deliuerer to that people doo Pharaoh what he can And though many poore infants were cast away to preuent his feare yet that Infant which must effect what he so feared is preserued aliue in despight of him yea nourished vp by his owne daughter in his owne bosome to the wonder of all that reade it to the worlds end The like you may remewber of Herod and those infants but this is inough of the first part of this chapter The second part 1. NOw followeth the second part namelie of his departure both from Court and Country which happened when hée was forty yéeres olde as Stephen witnesseth And if any maruell why it was so long of all the reasons that are alledged it séemeth best that till that time hée had not his Calling from God to beginne that worke Hée might consider his owne birth and parentage his great preseruation and education his Nations misery and bondage and heartilie pittie them but that he was of God appointed to them a Deliuerer he knew not till God reuealed it and God reuealed it not till now as it should séeme for Stephen saith it came into his minde when he was thus olde to visite his brethren as if hee should say hée now felt his calling and not before 2. When he did feele it and that once the Spirit of God smote his hart then marke we how no honours no pleasures no riches could kéepe him in the Court any longer but he rather chose to suffer aduersitie with the people of God than to inioy the pleasures of sinne for a season esteeming the rebukes of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt For he had respect vnto the recompence of the reward A notable example for all Courtiers and men of high place that they suffer themselues not to be snared with any thing incident to their places so that they may not serue the liuing God as they ought For surely if either pleasure or profit draw froÌ„ him it is too dearely bought wil lie heauie vpoÌ„ their soules one day Their dissembling there can neuer profit Gods people as their open profession would doe But in steade of profiting it draweth many thousands to death with them who obserue their steppes and depend vpon them which will bée laide to their charge in that great daie of the Lord when Moses shall liue and they die Not all the glory they possessed in this world béeing able to procure them one droppe of water to coole their tougues 3. When hee came to his brethren he saw their bitter seruitude burdens and slauery out of measure hée saw many great abuses offered vnto them wherewith hée was so farre mooued that he laide his hands vpon one of the Egyptians and siue him Not so teaching priuate men to doe without authoritie what he did warranted by a Calling but rightly teaching Magistrates which haue calling to vse their Places to the reliefe of the oppressed instrucing all men as their Places will warrant them to helpe their brethren from iust oppressors 4. But his looking about him on euery side when he did it and hiding him that was slaine argue as you may thinke an euill conscience and prooue in him an vnlawfull act No indéede no more than it dooth in other Magistrates that they execute iustice vpon some earely or late or priuately to auoide sedition and tumult This was in Moses and in them a godlie wisedome prouiding warely that whiles they endeauour a good by some indiscréet handling there grow not an euill Some feare if you will I deny not to haue béene in Moses when hée did it it may truly teach vs the weakenesse that sometimes is in the best seruants of God in the very warranted works of their lawful calling to our comfort if wée féele the like And which is swéete also that God dooth not â—ast away obedience performed to him with some feare more than it should Wée are not greater than Moses and therefore praying for strength and dooing our best if some vnwished weakenesse shew it selfe let this example bée remembred 5. It is saide in the text that Moses came forth againe the second daie and thereby all Magistrates may learne constancie and continuance in their care for their people For it is not inough one day to come and sée how all goeth as at their first entrance vpoÌ„ their Office or otherwise but euen the second day they should doo the same and so day by day as occasion serueth during the time of their Charge The want whereof maketh many a one wring that by more diligence would bée righted and relieued 6. But how was he requited Surely finding two striuing together and admonishing them to cease from such vnbrotherly strife streight hee was reproached by one of them in this sort Who made thee a man of authoritie a Iudge ouer vs Thinkest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian A cléere glasse for all eies to sée in the reward often giuen to good men when they haue performed some good duties to their brethren But it may be no discouragement for GOD is in heauen and will reward all obedience to him paying home heauily such vnthankefull receiuers of it 7. Was this all no marke more in these vnkinde Israelites The death of the Egyptian is brought to Pharaohs care so that now Moses for his zeale and heart to relieue his country-man that was abused must either himselfe fall into danger or flie the country to his disgrace Not onelie therefore the vnthankefulnesse but the measure of it is to bée obserued for our good For many times wée can disgest some ingratitude but such a measure and such a manner as is happily offered vnto vs wée caunot This example will helpe vs for sure the measure héere was great and the manner odious Againe for whiblers and pratling pick-thanks tatlers and tale-tellars there may bée a Note of them You sée what an auncient wéede in the world they bée they were neuer wanting nor will bee while the world indureth neither Princes nor meaner than Princes can auoide them there is no newes stirring but they are carriers of it and they can greatlie iucrease it in the carriage No circumstances can make them silent Many good men haue smarted by them and
slaunder and slaughter and such like but that heere they were idle was an error in the King and a malicious lie in those that so enformed him By which wee may learne and sée how wicked men haue no eyes often to sée the true causes of a thing but most apt and readie to deuise a false Let a man or woman be gréeued extraordinarily with the burthen of their sinnes and with groanes and sighes trauaile vnder the bitternes of it leauing thereupon those recreations which erst they vsed and delighted in what say the wicked oh it is a melancholie and the body would be purged c. But oh they are blinde and haue no eye-sight into the combates of the godly may wee truly say and so leaue them Festus imagineth Paul is mad when he speaketh the words of truth and sobernes and that much learning maketh him mad when learning is wisedome and maketh wise Yea Heli himselfe mistaketh Anna a vertuous woman and déemeth her to be drunke when rauished in her holy féeling shee was crying to GGD with feruent prayer Wherefore the Apostle teacheth To the end Christ might be mercifull a faithfull high Priest in things concerning God it behooued him in all things to be made like vnto his brethren And in another place Wee haue not an high Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all things tempted in like sort yet without sinne c. 8. And let them not regard vaine words saith Pharaoh Such taste and such conceipt haue vaine persons of Gods word In the 14. of the Acts the truth of God you knowe is called Heresie of the wicked And in the 17. Chapter it is called Newe of vaine Phylosophers that knewe not what it was Examples of vse to giue vs contentment in patience when like ignorance in our dayes bringeth forth like blasphemies Be stayed strong 9. Then went the Taske-maisters of the people and their Officers out and tolde the people saying Thus saith Pharaoh I will giue you no more straw Goe your selues get you straw where ye can finde it yet shall nothing of your labour be diminished Then were the people scattered c. Sée againe what was said before how the néerer that God draweth to his Church and Children to doo them good the more rageth Sathan in and by his members against them Hard hard therefore are the beginnings of deliuerance out of Egypt spirituall Egypt I meane as well as out of this earthly Egypt And therefore when the Lord shall touch thy hand and open thine eyes to sée where thou art how farre out of the way that leadeth to eternall life and giue thée a desire to returne and be saued Remember what the wise-man saith and bee comforted with it My Sonne if thou wilt come into the seruice of GOD stand fast in righteousnes and feare and prepare thy soule to temptation c. Reade the place to the ende Remember that Example in the Gospell how the foule spirit being commaunded to depart rent and tare the partie more and worse than euer before Wee cannot leaue anie sinne wherein wee haue continued but by and by some contrarie winde will blowe and wee shall be discouraged if it may be somtimes with threatnings and bitter words sometimes with shew of perils and losses that may ensue sometimes with mocks and taunts in very spightfull manner and in a word if wee haue done euill wee must doo euill still and so be cast away or else Sathan will want his will But be strengthened with this Example and others in the Word Here now their burthen and miserie is greater than euer before For now they must haue no more straw but gather it where they can and yet make vp the tale and number of their bricke before which was a great extremitie yet the end is still as the Lord hath decréed his purpose is to deliuer them from this slauerie and when his time commeth they shall bee deliuered and let goe whosoeuer saith nay Though discomfort encrease for a little while to drawe sighes out of the heart to him that can helpe yet it shall end with ioyfull comfort put in the place of it and so much the sooner by how much it groweth the sharper O stand then and shrinke not and say in your heart now now is my God at hand For now I féele and sée the enemie maddest to oppresse me if hee could Come therefore swéete Lord I humbly beséech thée stay not and till thou commest vouchsafe thy hand to stay me that I faint not Thou art strong and I am weake thou art good and I am bad but thou art mine and I am thine O Blessed Blessed support thine owne that I may euer praise thée 10. And the Taske-masters hasted them saying Finish your dayes-worke c. And they beate them Then they cried to Pharaoh c. A Storie to shew you if you note it how the Law worketh without the Gospel euen roughlie sharply and rigorouslie For doo this doo this finish finish the work is stil the voice of it Whereby sin and the Deuill rageth as here Pharaoh doth For sinne saith the Apostle tooke occasion by the law c. So sinne reuiued But I died and the same commaundement which was ordained vnto life was found to be vnto mee vnto death c. Then crieth the true Israelite O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death as heere they cried vnto Pharaoh to bee deliuered from their miserie Blessed therefore bee the Lord for his swéete Gospell which helpeth all this rigour and giueth vs comfort and deliuerance in his Sonne from this great rage to our endlesse comfort Sée also how Tyrannie once begunne encreaseth more and more from words to blowes verse 14. And when they crie vnto Pharaoh in hope of remedie verse 15. shewing him the iniquitie of their vsage and how their offence in not making vp their tale of bricke grew by other mens faults that gaue them no straw verse 16 this pittifull complaint which should haue moued him to commiseration worketh but a confirmation of tyrannie in the wicked King first mocking and scoffing at their Religion as wicked men vse to doo verse 17 and vttering his crueltie with his owne mouth There shall no straw be giuen you yet shal you deliuer the whole tale of Bricke ver 18. Wherefore how happie Kingdomes be to which the Lord hath graunted mercifull and gracious Princes full of pittie and clemencie flowing from a true taste of holy Religion and from an immoueable loue of their true Subiects I leaue the Reader if he haue any bowels in him to féele and consider sending vp his thanks where it is due for what hee enioyeth in abundant measure 11. Then the Officers of the Children of Israel saw thēselues in an euill case c. And they met Moses and Aaron who
and able to disperse all duskie cloudes bringing his glorious truth out to beare sway againe at his good pleasure Simplex nuda est sed efficax magna It is simple and naked saith One but powerfull and strong Splendet cum obscuratur vincit cum opprimitur It shineth euen when it is darkned ouercommeth when it is oppressed The 2. part THese thinges thus passed ouer the holy Ghost commeth to shewe the first of those ten plagues which the King and his people tasted of namely of the turning of their waters into blood whereby their fish died and both man and beast were perplexed Of this plague there is a Denuntiation ver 17. 18. c. Secondly an Execution ver 22. 23. Thirdly an Euent which againe is thrée-fold 1. A Conuersion of the waters into blood 2. An Imitation of this myracle by the Enchaunters who did the like ver 25. And lastly an Encrease of hardnes in Pharaohs heart when hee had séene all this ver 25. 26. Concerning some profitable vse of all which to our selues thus may we meditate and thinke of them 1. God telleth Moses that Pharaoh in the morning will come to the water to wit vnto the riuer Nilus and there he should meete him Whereby wee sée the truth of the Psalmist his spéech O Lord thou hast searched mee out and knowne me thou knowest my downe sitting and mine vprising yea thou vnderstandest my thoughts and that long before thou art about my bed and about my pathes spiest out all my wayes What care then should wee haue of our actions when euery step of ours is thus knowne to God Hee knoweth you sée which way wee will walke in the morning before euer wee goe out of our houses and he knoweth all to goe no further in this matter 2. Wee sée againe how the Lord smiteth the waters héere that the Egyptians might knowe as also all the world besides how the Lord our God hath power ouer all his creatures to giue the vse of them to vs and to take the vse of them from vs at his pleasure Interpreters vpon this place say Hanc plagam intulit Deus propter pueros â—udeorum in aquis immersos fluuius enim mutatus in sanguinem conqueritur de câ—de puerorum per eos commissa This plague GOD brought vpon them for the children which were drowned and the riuer thus turned into blood complained to God for that slaughter saith Theodoret. Origen and Augustine say it was poena culpâ— the punishment of sinne meaning the drowning of the children That which is added in the Text And it shall greeue the Egyptians to drink Austine saith of it thus Bibentibus erat exitiuÌ„ non bibeÌ„tibus pâ—na obsitim quaÌ„ sustinebant Vnto theÌ„ that dranke it was death vnto theÌ„ that dranke not it was a great punishment for the thirst which they sustained Iosephus in like sort Si bibebant coÌ„festim â—â—ri dolore corrâ—piebantur hoc forsan Textus innuit cuÌ„ dicit affligâ—â—tur Egiptiâ— If they dranke by and by they were taken with a bitter griefe and this peraduenture the Text meaneth when it saith It shall greeue the Egyptians to drinke Philo saith Hominum siti enectorum magnus numerus ace uatim iacebat in triuijs non sufficientibus domesticis ad sepultuâ—e officia A great number of men dead with thirst lay by hâ—apes in the streetes and high-wayes their houshold friends or seruants being not enowe to bury them Such a plague was this turning of their waters into blood 3. We may further note an encrease of terrour in this myracle aboue the former of the Serpents For as you plainly sée it was far greater and more 〈…〉 efull And we may thereby learne this good Lesson â—â—at where milder meanes will not serne God both câ—â— and will add sharper and heauier The Serpents before were a faire warning but yet because they hurt no man they profited few men Now therefore he will touch them a little néerer he will strike the water which neither man nor beast may want and so sée if their hearts will yéeld obedience to his will Thus assuredly dealeth he with men and women at this day but peraduenture it is not marked He encreaseth his crosses from goods to bodie from body to minde from ourselues to our children and still maketh vs abound with more want and woe in greater and sharper measure that we may repent and turne if wee will be perswaded if not in the end he can make an end and finally destroy vs with miserie that shall neuer end O that wee may haue then wise hearts to obserue the steps and degrées of Gods dealing with vs profiting by the lesser and so preuenting the greater to his good contentment and our euerlasting comfort and safety Nilus was a riuer wherein they much gloried receauing by it great riches and great defence wherefore to sée this riuer turned into blood so fearefullie might well haue smitten their hearts and made them humble themselues to God but nothing will humble some men neither entred all this into Pharaohs heart which hardnes is euer a fearefull signe and to be prayed against Marke it also how if we stoope not to God but continue obstinate by degrées hee will come to our néerest and déerest comforts Thus I hope if you reade this Chapter ouer againe in your Bible you sâ—e some measure of the vse of it which is the thing I ayme at to encourage you to the reading of the Text and then daylie more and more reading with godly Prayer and Meditation shall yéeld further vse and profit in many things the holy Scriptures being as a déepe water wherein the greatest Lyon may swim and the greatest vessell touch no bottome Let this much therefore suffice of this Chapter CHAP. 8. In this Chapter are set downe three fearefull plagues more The plague of Frogges The plague of Lice The plague of Flies 1. WHereof to make vse to our instruction and reformation let vs consider this gracious Admonition in the first verse vouchsafed to Pharaoh againe Let my people goe that they may serue mee Can there any thing be swéeter to the Childe of God than to marke how slowe the Lord is to punish and how desirous of amendment without punishment O howe may my Soule assure it selfe of mercie if penitentially I séke it where such a Nature is Cannot hee endure to punish Pharaoh a proude and haughtie rebell against his Diuine will and will he willingly smite my poore soule your poore soule or any poore soule brused and broken with the sense of sinne and groaning and sighing for one drop of mercie at his hand No no there is mercy with the Lord and therefore shall he euer be feared Hee is slowe to anger and of great kindnes Hee will not alwaies chide neither keepe his anger for euer He hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our iniquities
procure one drop of water to coole his scalded tongue The gaine of Gold makes many loose their soules The gréedy wretch that for himselfe still spares doth hoord-up nothing but continuall cares Hermocrates lying at the point of death bequeathed his goods to none but himselfe The fire burneth â—â—ercer the more it hath and so the worlds wormes The Bées doo flocke to the hony dewe and so these wretches vnto gaine The greatest fish deuoure the smaller frie and so these wretches their weaker brethren In aworde as you neuer sée the Sea without waues so shall you neuer see these wretches without woes And as the cloudes doo hide the Sunnes light so their gréedie hearts repell Gods grace But let this suffice touching some vse of this Chapter ¶ â‹ CHAP. 9. The chiefe heades of this Chapter are these three plagues more The Fifth Plague The Sixth Plague The Seauenth Plague 1. WHereof that we may make like vse as before let vs first note froÌ„ whence any murren of cattell doth come when wee are that way punished in a countrie surely euen from the Lord as we sée héere Not simply froÌ„ Witches and Sorcerers set on by malicious neighbours as we vsually thinke for what can a whole Legion of Deuils doe to one swine without leaue graunted from the Lord you know the place and it ought to be thought vpon God sometimes trieth by this afflictioÌ„ and so teach the Scriptures Cursed shall be the increase of thy kine and the flocke of thy sheepe The beasts and the birdes are consumed for their sin that dwel in the land Euery way theÌ„ it is the Lord euery way therfore we ought to séeke to the Lord not to Witches and Sorcerers 2 But still the Lord spareth the Israelites True and sée the vse of it First God in his Justice this way more tormenteth the mindes of the wicked who for their rebellion against him deserue all punishment so saith the Psalme The wicked shall see this and consume away Secondly the Lord assureth his Chosen in all the world that albeit in lesser matters he trieth them or chasticeth them as hee dooth others yet when his great plagues come of Judgement vnto death and destruction eternall he will surely make a separation to the vnspeakeable Comfort of his owne and to the eternall praise of his mercie The wordes of the Prophet are plaine For a little while haue I forsaken thee but with euerlasting mercie haue I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Againe in the Psalme if his wrath be kindled but a little Blessed are they that put their trust in him Meaning because there is euer as I say a partition betwixt the Lords wrath and his Chosen Good therefore is that prayer of Dauid euer to be in our minde wheresoeuer we are O knit my heart vnto thee Lord that I may feare thy name that I may euer cleaue vnto thee euer be thine and neuer be drawne away from thee by any temptation whatsoeuer 3. And the Lord appointed a time saying To morrowe the Lord shall finish this thing in this Land So that not onely the Judgement and affliction which happeneth is of the Lord but the very time also when it shall begin and when it shall end before which time no malice of man or Deuill can bring it no power of any creature can take it away Tempus prâ—fixit vt non casu factum putent vt certitudinem Diuinâ— virtutis ostenderet cui nemo potest resistere Hee appointed the time saith Theodoret that they might not thinke these things came by chaunce likewise to shew the certaintie of Gods power which no creature can resist Againe the truth of his comminations and threatnings you sée héere when it is said So the Lord did this thing on the morrowe all the Cattell of Egypt died but of the Cattell of the children of Israel died not one Learne therefore to tremble when the Lord threatneth and to feare the Euent for as here so euer he will be true vnlesse heartie Repentance step in betwixt and turne away his wrath from vs. 4. Then Pharaoh sent to sée and found all as hath béene said yet saith the Text the heart of Pharaoh was obstinate and hee did not let the people goe Marke it well and thinke with your selfe whether any Preacher or Teacher can be plainer in words than GOD was héere by works or whether any man can euer bee made to sée a truth by teaching more euidently and manifestly than Pharaoh héere sawe this hand of God smiting Egypt and sparing Israel yet though GOD be the Teacher himselfe and the matter subiect to his eyes without deniall Pharaoh still is obstinate still the same still a striuer against God and his grace How then doo wee wonder that where the Word is preached truth soundly and plainly taught yet all be not reformed and reclaimed froÌ„ their errors Is there any fault in the Word or Teacher are not things plaine how then commeth this to passe but euen as héere it did from the fearefull wrath of GOD hardning such hearts and closing such eyes that they can neither sée féele or vnderstand to saluation All because they haue not a loue to the truth but are hypocrites scorners deriders and such as heare onely for fashion thinking themselues abundantly skilfull when indéede they are most ignorant and when as they may sée the Lord by his Prophet affirming that he will looke vnto none but such as are poore of a contrite spirit and tremble at his words That is humble in their owne eyes receauing the Word with reuerence hungring and thirsting after the same as the Spirituall foode of their soules saying in their hearts as Samuel did Speake on Lord thy seruant heareth Surelie neither true matter nor plaine manner will serue vnlesse God strike a holy stroke within vs by his powerfull Spirit that wee may be moued Therefore as it is a blessing to haue truth tolde vs so is it a double blessing to haue a soft heart giuen vs moued yéelding to the truth Otherwise as you sée in the Smiths shop as many hard blowes laide vpon his Anuile as vpon the Iron hee worketh and yet the Anuile remaineth all one and the Iron turneth to the Smithes desire because in the one there is heate in the other none So in the same Auditorie as manie proofes and reasons are laid open to one as to another and yet one moued and not another S. Augustine saith Non verbis hominis fit vt intelligatur verbum Dei facit Deus vt intelligatis The words of man cannot make man vnderstand God his word but it is God that maketh them to vnderstand Joy therefore in the Lord his mercie towards you when you haue féeling knowe that it is a grace not giuen to all you sée Pharaoh héere and such hath the world many whom no preaching can reforme c. 5.
offices were all giuen away where hee least wished them and yet the Lord stayed not héere but fearefully destroyed also his posteritie Was not this thundering was not this lightning and was not this Judgment as vpon a stage O let it euer be remembred of all that reade it with their eies and God for his mercy sake make it profitable 14 Only in the land of Goshen where the children of Israel were was no hayle In which words as heretofore so stil stil is noted the vnsearchable goodnesse of God to his Church together with his Almighty power to doo euer what He wil. He can saue and He can spill He can make such a wall about his children that no storme or tempest no calamitie or euill shall come nere them though it compasse them round about and others perish with it on euery side Two shall be in the fielde the one receaued the other forsaken two shall be grinding at the mill the one accepted the other reiected c. Blessed therefore is that man and woman who haue the Lord for their God And say vnto my soule I am thy saluation saith Dauid in one of his Psalmes noting thereby the comfort of this aboue ten thousand worldes Let vs therefore euer be carefull to be of the number of those that abide in Goshen where the Sauing hand of God shall defend from al euil 15. In these smooth wordes of Pharaoh verse 27. That he had sinned that the Lord was righteous and he and his people wicked That Moses should pray for him c. returning neuerthelesse to his old byas when the Plague was gone stil obserue as you haue done before the déepe falshood of mans hart making faire shewes without fruite and if God be thus glozed and dissembled with all thinke whether it séeme strange to mortall man to taste of it No no we must reckon of it to be praised to our face to be sclaundered at our backes by the one and the same person Yet let it not discourage vs to doo any good but onely let it make vs carefull to giue no iust cause and tenne thousand times thankfull when wee are released out of such a world and taken into his kingdome 16. Lastly that often repeated Sentence of Pharaohs heardened heart let it remember vs of that Saying in Saint Augustine Corda mala patientia Dei durescunt Euill hearts wax-heard by Gods long-suffering and patience Also of that in Saint Bernard Cor durum dici quod non cōpūctione scinditur nec pietate mollitur nec mouetur precibus minis non cedit flagellis duratur ingratum ad beneficia ad consilia infidum ad iudicia saeuum inuerecundum ad turpia impauidum ad pericula inhumanum ad humana temerarium ad Diuina preteritorum obliuiscens praesentium negligens futura non praeuidens It is called a heard heart which is neither rent with compunction nor softned with piety nor mooued with prayers which giueth no place to threatnings is hardened with stripes in benefits vnthankfull in Councill vnfaithfull in iudgment cruell vnshamefast in foule things not fearefull in perils in humane things most inhumane in Diuine things rashe forgetting things past neglecting things present and not foreseeing things to come Surely such a description if we our selues haue not Pharaohs hardnes will euer mooue vs earnestly to pray against such hardnesse Thus endeth this Chapter and thus end I hauing giuen you some taste how we may profit by reading of it CHAP. 10. Here you haue following two Plagues more to wit the eight and the ninth The eight from the beginning of the Chapter to the twenty verse and the ninth from thence to the end Concerning the former the Holy-Ghost layeth downe 1. A Commaundement to Moses to goe 2. A Denunciation 3. An Execution 4. The Effect that in the Seruants King 1. TOuching the first the Text saith Againe the Lord said vnto Moses goe to Pharaoh c. Diuers times you know hee had sent before and all in vaine yet ceaseth not the bottomlesse and incomprehensible mercy of God still still againe and againe to send This was euer his gratious dealing with miserable sinners and a swéete comfort it is to a troubled minde to thinke of it The Gospell saith in like sort He sentagaine and againe other and other seruants to those wicked husbandmen to remember them of his due and their duetie At last he sent his owne Sonne vnto them saying they will reuerence my Sonne Againe to Hierusalem how often how often would I haue gathered thy Children together euen as a Hen gathereth her chickens vnder her wings and yet would not O tender Father what a certaine Seale is this thy goodnesse in these examples that true Repentance shall neuer be reiected A sorrowfull sinner neuer repulsed a broken and contrite hart neuer despised Let it profit vs vnto increase of faith for his sake that dyed for our sinnes Our owne experience hath taught vs as much if wee did obserue it For how long haue wee béene sinners haue not some of vs béene 20 yéeres some 30 some 40 and more all of vs too long walking the way that leadeth vnto death And what haue our sinnes béene surely great foule vglie odious to God dangerous to our selues and offensiue to the world yet hath the Lord neither swept vs away in his most iust wrath neither ceased to send Moses againe and againe vnto vs for our reformation Should not this infinite goodnes much moue vs to returne to so swéete a Father Knowest thou not O man saith the blessed Apostle that the long suffering of God leadeth thee to repentance How entertained hee the Prodigall Sonne when hee returned how reioice the Angels in Heauen ouer one sinner that repenteth far be it euer then from vs euer to resist a God so powerfull to confound vs and so mercifull to receaue vs. 2. But the Lord saith héere that he hardened Pharaohs heart and the hearts of his seruants how then was the fault in them that they yéelded not for answere let mee aske you another question whether you thinke it not lawfull that God should punish a sinner as himselfe liketh and whether hardnes of heart be not a punishment if both be true then might the Lord punish him this way Yet all men doo not thinke this such a punishment as it is for if wee be sicke wee looke for helpe if the eye faile the eare growe dull or any sense be weakened we quickly féele it and readily with for remedie onely if our heart growe dull and our vnderstanding féeling and profiting in Gods Schoole be taken from vs wee are not mooued neither thinke it goeth ill with vs preferring the outward sense of body far and far before the light of the minde But let it be lawfull you say with the Lord thus to punish yet it must néedes excuse the partie so punished for how can a man féele and relent whose heart God smiteth with
the Similitude of Locusts foretell this rabble in time to come into the world Thirdly Grashoppers doo eate-vp destroy all greene things and fruites of the earth And euen so these Antichristian Locusts Swarmes of Romish Fryers and such like left not a greene thing vndeuoured that is not a good soyle and seate in any Land wherein they clapt not downe themselues had a house built and possessed the pleasure and profit thereof till God in mercy to his Church sent a strong winde and blew them away Fourthly Grashoppers are said and written of to be insatiable euer hungry whilest they liue Locusta enim quasi tota vena est ideo insatiabilis quam diu viuit semper esurit And were not the Romish Locusts so to I pray you in their time and yet still are where they haue place The world with many wofull complaints hath left their insatiable deuouring testified to all posterity Fiftly one Grashopper alone is very contemptible and no man feareth him but in Swarmes they are as terrible on the other side to a whole Land Euen so Romish Locusts Priests Fryers and such like one of any sort alone without dread but beware heapes Swarmes of them for by their multitude they haue dared and wronged great Princes Sixtly the Grashoppers leape and sing and play all Sommer long so did these rabble plentifully take their pleasure all the time of their Sommer liued in idlenes vpon other mens labours singing and saying sporting and playing and who durst say nay Lastly Locusta est animal paruulum inter volatile reptile medium pestis tanta vt ab Ethnicis Deorum ira dicatur The Grashopper saith Chrysostome neither properly flying nor creeping but as it were a middle thing betwixt both such a plague that the Heathens haue called it The wrath of God So write the Papists or Romish Locusts of their Head the Pope that he is neither méerely a man nor absolutely a God but a middle creature betwixt both and then wee dare add that hee is such a plague as truly we may terme The wrath of God Thus might I goe forward in this resemblance and shew you how fitly the holy Spirite of God foretold of these swarmes vnder the name of Locustes but this much sheweth you the way and you your selfe may think of mo agréements Now marke you the wordes in the Reuelation and as by this which I haue saide you haue séene how like the Popish Clergie is to Grashoppers in some conditions so there shall you see how like they are to the description of Locustes there made by Saint Iohn that euery way you may be sure the Prophecy in the Apocalips noted out these creatures First it is said vnto them was giuen power as the Scorpions of the earth haue power Now we reade that the Scorpion is a flattering beast and in the middest of his flattery with the sting of his tayle woundeth to death So were and are these Popish Locustes euer full of flattery and fawning and in the middest thereof full of poyson striking to death with their stings of false Doctrine as many as they can fasten the same in Againe the Scorpions sting at the first maketh no great payne but after it hath crept abroad and dispersed his venome in the bodie it killeth most cruelly and without remedie so the stinging perswasions of Romish Locustes appeare not at first so dangerous but when they haue gotten strength the partie hardly euer recouereth The Doctrine of Free iustification in the blood of Christ is hid from Gods people and condemned as heresie All assurance of Gods fauour all peace of conscience all ioy in the Holy-Ghost quite destroyed Men are sent to séeke ease in the Merite of their owne workes in Popes Pardons and Indulgences in running on pilgrimage to this Idoll and that in punishing their bodies by fastings whippings and such like inuentions and yet are they not eased hereby but torments of conscience as the venome of these Scorpion-like Locustes which haue stinged them still remaine bitter and heauie vpon them Then must they build Abbeies giue money for Trentals of Masses then sing sing ring ring cast Pardons into the graue call for the poore giue almes and what not Judge now if this kind of power of these Locustes be not as the power of Scorpions vpon earth as Saint Iohn speaketh and be you most assured that God pointed at them in this Prophetic that wee might be forewarned and so forearmed against them Secondly it is saide in the Apocalyps how to those Locustes was commaunded that they should not hurt the grasse of the earth neither any greene thing neither any tree but onely those men which haue not the Scale of God in their fore-heades And how fitly agréeth this to the Romish Locustes For there be in the world two sorts of people one that wittingly and willingly will run after their own woe and are bitter professed 〈…〉 ies of the Truth whom God in his Justice hath reiected not scaled that other sort is of them which not malitiously but of méere ignorance go awrie béeing desirous to doo wel yet in their simplicity deceaued and abused by crafty Juglers The former sort onely are those whom these Locustes can hurt The latter in Gods infinite goodnesse is exempt as greene things which he will not haue harmed and as persōs sealed in their foreheades which the former wanted A swéete Testimony of the power and mercy of our most gratious Father who in the very middest of darknesse euen when Antichrist is at his height can preserue his chosen from any hurt by those swarmes of Locustes which haue great power giuen them to hurt others The obseruing whereof much doth inable vs to answere that scale obiection Where was your Church before Luther Surely in the middest of these Locustes Scorpions and Hornets yet by the power of an Almighty God preserued from hurt as you sée heere these greene things were But you may thinke how can this be Are all those whom these Romish Locustes sting with any false and erronious opinion cast away and damned this were hard and if not how then is it said that they shall not haue power to hurt the Elect The next verse in the Reuelation answereth the matter where lest any should mistake the word of hurting the holy Ghost sheweth what hee meaneth by it namely that they should not kill the Elect but onely such as were not sealed Hurt then the Elect may be or as it is there vexed fiue moneths and their paine shall be as the paine that commeth of a Scorpion which hath stung a man but killed they shall not be that is finally ouer-throwne and cast away touching eternall life Grashoppers come in Aprill and liue till September fiue moneths and then are gone so may the Elect be afflicted for a time and hurt in their goods and bodies friends as Iob was but September will come when the Locusts shall
all sinnes So in Daniel is it saide that to Antichrist are giuen the eyes of a man still therefore marke how these properties hit Sixtly Their haire as the haire of women So are these they are delicious and wanton full of light allurements so trick and trim in silke and sutes of their fashion that the very Persians may séeme to giue place vnto them when they are in their Pontificalibus and gay attire In a word nothing may be saide more truly than that their haire is like the haire of women Their loose life hath toâ— much proofe Seauenthly But their teeth were as the teeth of Lyons So are these passing cruell and beyond all the butchering Tyrants that Stories speake of No mercie no bowels no respect of age seâ—e or circumstance vsually respected of men that haue any remnants of pitie Their Inquisition Oh how mercilesse their new deuised Torments Oh how strange Againe their teeth may bee well said to be like Lyons because they deuoured and eate vp such great things Looke vpon their Abbies Priories Nunries and all Religious Houses iudge what teeth they had and when there was not enough to satisfie them of temporall Lands then they preyed vpon the Church making Impropriations the venome whereof remaineth yet So that one way or other they were planted placed seated and setled in the very fat of the earth and had they continued still and not béene limited to fiue moneths who or what should haue escaped their Lyon-like teeth Eightly They had Habbergions like to Habbergions of yron And â—o haue these if you well marke them for by these yron Brest-plates are noted two properties found in the Romish rabble First a most obstinate stubbornnesse and inflexible frowardnesse not enduring any perswasion not yéelding any way but crying euer The Church The Church I am setled I am resolued and as a Captaine of theirs an English Apostata saide once Heaue at vs whilest you will and whilest you may you shall neuer remoue vs. This is to haue an Habbergion or Brest-plate of yron or euen to bee turned into yron Blessed be God who hath thus foretolde vs of this striffe conâ—umacie of theirs to the end we should take no offence that they are not conuerted vnto the Truth but stand and die in their wilfulnes Secondly they are defended by that Antichristian power as it were by an Habbergion of yron claiming an impunitie immunitie from all secular power and authoritie and hauing in readines curses and threats of Excommunication euen against the Greatest Princes and against All their Subiects who shall obey them whereof many a wofull Tragedie hath followed Againe themselues many of them haue béene Princes younger Sonnes Noble-mens younger sonnes greatly allied and friended so that in regard of this power and strength they might truly be saide to haue Habbergions of yron Ninthly The sound of their wings was like the sound of Chariots when many horses runne vnto battell So haue these winges when they flie aloft by the Names of MOST HOLY FATHERS MOST BLESSED MOST EXCELLENT and such like themselues giuing out That they are more blessed than the holy virgin Mary because she bare Christ but once and they make him and beare him in their hands euery day at the Altar Thus flying with their light wings of proud Titles they make such a noise and sound as Chariots drawne by many horses into the battell For denie any of these things and how violent how vehement are they by Disputations Excommunications Suspentions and Sentences of death it selfe Surely no whéeles of Chariots can flash out fire so as these men doo if their flickering wings of flattering Titles be touched Fitly therefore the words of S. Iohn hit them Their Scorpion tailes and power to hurt was touched before therefore I omit it now The tenth Marke is Those Locusts haue a King ouer them And so haue these Romish Locusts their Pope acknowledging no Magistrates authoritie ouer them but exalting him and exempting themselues from all others This King of the Locustes is héere called The Angel of the bottomlesse pit and in the eleuenth Chapter The Beast that commeth out of the bottomlesse pit Wordes of weight to mooue all Popish mindes if the Lord had not a purpose to destroy them For they must néedes acknowledge such a King is not worth the following and that their Pope is this King that which hath béene said and may further be noted of him clearely sheweth For hee that crosseth and crusheth to his vttermost power His Doctrine that came from Heauen he is the King that commeth out of Hell in whom S. Hierome saith the Deuill dwelleth bodily But the Pope doth so as proofe enough will manifest and Ergo the conclusion followeth as I said His Name also is folde héere which giueth againe great light For albeit the Pope be called Holy Father and so forth yet indéede he is a bloodie Destroyer and so his right Name in Hebrewe is Abaddon and in Greeke Apollyon that is destroying Thus in the Prophecie of the Reuelation hath God you sée described a fearefull kinde of Locustes vnto the consideration whereof by reason of these Egyptian Locusts or Grashoppers we haue slipped I hope not without some encrease of féeling how dreadfull their steps be that continually walke in Romish wayes and will not be reclaimed by any meanes Our owne safer iudgement God make vs thankfull for and continue the blessed helpes of our confirmation in his Truth euer vnto vs his holy and Heauenly Word a fréedome to vse all the profitable exercises thereof as Preaching hearing reading writing praying conference and whatsoeuer else without feare vnder the swéete smelling gouernment of a gracious Prince our dread Souereigne Amen Amen 10. Therefore Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in hast and saide I haue sinned against the Lord your God and against you And now forgiue me my sinne onely this once and pray vnto the Lord your God that he may take away from me this death one 〈…〉 Thus the wicked in extremities seeke to Gods Ministers whom in their heart they hate and cannot abide But this hypocriticall holinesse of this dissembling King we haue diuers times noted before and therefore may passe it ouer now Yet marke the great vehemency of his wordes and consider in your minde what a déep sin Hypocrisy is how disagréeing from the nature of God who is all Truth and from that blessing in the Gospell of a pure heart Moses yéelded againe to pray to God And by a mightie strong West-winde the Grashoppers were taken away and violently cast into the Red-Sea so that there remained not so-much as one in all the coast of Egypt But when it was done Ph 〈…〉 h shewed himselfe in his olde colour and would not let them goe The 9. plague 1. VVHere vpon the Lord spake againe to Moses and said Stretch out thine hand toward heauen that there may be vpon the land
wee likewise may raine-downe abundance of teares praying for our sinnes and thanking him for his goodnes knowing it as a most assured truth that no dewe of the night can so glad the earth as this swéete moisture of thy wet eye in these respects doth please thy God Good therfore was that Counsaile of a most honourable Father to his Childe that aboue all other times hee should haue a care in the quiet night to talke with his God Dauid goeth on in another Psalme and saith I haue thought vpon the Lord in the night season and remembred him when I was waking At midnight will I rise to giue thanks to Thee because of thy righteous Iudgements In the night I commune with mine owne heart and search out my Spirits With my soule haue I desired thee in the night saith the Song of the Faithfull And all these thinges should be our instruction In Iob it is said God giueth songs in the night and it is a Place much to be thought on Therefore I say againe since mercie and iudgement thus stir in the night the one for his children the other for his Enemies awake thou that sleepest in most dull securitie going to thy bed as the Dogge to his kennell without anie thought either of God or of Deuill Full little knowest thou what may happen vnto thée before it be day It may be with thée as with these first borne with the fiue Kings with the Citie Ai c. Thy selfe may be dead thy houses on fire thy goods spoyled thy children destroyed and a thousand wofull miseries vpon thy friends Wherefore goe to bed with prayer awake with prayer and arise with prayer Let God and grace be in thy first thoughts and not anger and wrath not Shéepe and Oxen not money and mucke which shall all perish with thée when God is angrie We see how the faithfull haue done before vs and let it suffice in this point concerning the time when this plague was executed 2. The second thing is the Plague it selfe which was the death of the first borne To make vse of it to our selues let vs consider how great a gréefe it is to haue any childe die and that to haue the eldest and first borne to die is commonly a griefe much greater but yet this was not all the griefe of the Egyptians For besides the particular griefe of any one to haue it generall through the whole Land and not to knowe whether God would there stay or extend his wrath vpon them all for they said we all shall die this was a thing most full of feare and woe So by all these circumstances the iudgement was terrible vpon them and to them past our féeling and conceite except the Lord assist our vnderstanding and féeling But why will some say séeing wee all owe a death to God first or last young and olde and all degrées I answere that death in it selfe to any grounded vpon God is neither hurtfull nor fearefull yet Nature is Nature when the separation commeth and wee are allowed to mourne for them that die but when death commeth with a circumstance or shewe of Gods anger in manner or suddainnesse or such like then is there not that comfort which we otherwise haue For Example sake Lot knewe well his wife must die but to sée her changed so suddainly and strangely into a pillar of Salt was very fearefull and discomfortable both to him and all her friends Those sonnes of Aaron Nadab and Abihu their Father knewe full well must haue a death but to sée them both together suddainly slaine by a fire frō God iudge in your heart what griefe it was Corah Dathan ond Abiram must haue died and no friend of theirs but well knewe it yet to haue the earth open and swallowe them vp with all their families O what a dreadfull spectacle was it Add vnto these those Tormentors which died with the flames flashing out of the fierie fornace where into they had cast the three seruants of God those Accusers of Daniel who were cast into the Lions denne and shaken in peeces ere they came to the ground Ananias and Saphira his wife suddenly smitten by the hand of God This Pharaoh here and so many of his Nobles and people drowned and ouerwhelmed in the Red-sea were they not all full of woe and griefe to friends more than if they had died orderly without any such circumstance of Gods anger Surely they were And the best Learned are of opinion that Dauid so doubled his crie for Absolon more in regard of the manner of his death than of the death it selfe For hee died in rebellion against his naturall Father and King he was hanged by the haire of his head betwixt Heauen and Earth in a tree till his enemies came and stabbed him through againe and againe There were no signes knowne of his repentance Which all laid together and considered of a wise Father made his heart turne and ouerturne within him crying O my sonne Absolon my sonne my sonne Absolon would God I had died for thee O Absolon my sonne my sonne Conclude we therefore that though naturally wee must all die and there is nothing more sure yet either the kinde of death or the suddennes may depriue friends of much comfort So was it heere in Egypt for these first borne in euerie house 3. But yet you will not iudge may some say all that die a suddaine or extraordinarie death No indeede For things reuealed belong to vs and the Lords secrets appertaine to himselfe The Lords mercie is restrained neither to time nor manner and the Apostle saith what shall or can separate a man or woman once grafted into Christ Shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednes or perill or sword No no. Neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come Nor height nor depth nor any other creature can doo it No suddainnes of death then or extraordinarie manner which may happen to the best either by naturall causes in their bodies or otherwise as God shall please in his vnsearchable wisedome But in such cases we are to remember for our comfort what Testimonies of Faith Religion of vertue and pietie they gaue in their life time to rest vpon those The Lord is no Changeling but loueth to the end whom hee once loued although sodainly they depart and say nothing Neuerthelesse wee entreate the Lord if it may be his blessed will to deliuer saue vs frō sodaine death and to giue vs spéech memorie and hearing to our last breath Because the Last part is all in all of this transitorie life and being once gone cannot be restored againe as a Carpenter can pull downe his house if hee dislike it and make it new againe Also because it fareth with vs in this point as with the Archer who though he
ayme at the marke neuer so right and draw vp his â—owe neuer so stedfastly yet if his loose be not good but his hand starteth aside and swarueth at the point he misseth So we in death which is our last loose not guided by Gods holy Spirit may mar all And therefore we pray and euer should pray that till our end and in our end the Lord would vpholde vs in our strength and giue vs a gracious departure in him For as for that vaine Fable of helpe after death in Purgatorie it serued to rake vp the fat of the earth to those idle bellies and to shift away with faire words and promises those poore soules that shaked quaked after all their works not finding any sufficiencie in them to appease Gods wrath who could neuer returne being once dead to tell them they lied in so teaching the people that Masses Trentalls could helpe after death But for vs we know the Scriptures that as the tree falleth either towards the North or towards the South in the place it falleth there it shall bee Heauen wee reade of and Hell wee reade of but a Third place we finde not Lazarus was caried into Heauen and the rich Glutton into Hell They that haue done well saith the Catholique Faith shall goe into life euerlasting and they that haue done euill into euerlasting fire There is no Third place there mentioned to be beléeued and it is the Catholique Faith which except euery man kéepe holy and vndefiled without doubt he shall perish euerlastingly Let counterfet Catholiques hold what they list they heare the danger S. Augustine agréeably héereunto saith Repentance is onely in this life S. Cyprian also Hic vel accipimus vel amittimus vitam aeternam Heere wee either hold or loose life eternall meaning that if wee die well wee holde it and if wee die ill wee loose it there being no more helpe after death S. Basil againe pretily saith Post mercatum solutum nullus negociatur After the Market is ended there is neither buying nor selling and when I am dead the Market is ended with mee Wherefore let all our care be to take time while time serueth to liue well and doo well according to the rule prescribed and not according to our fancies or any mans inuention that a good life may haue a good death in Gods great mercie and goodnes Then for the place leaue it to God as also the manner and remember well that from euery Kingdome and Country from euery Towne and house yea from all corners and places whatsoeuer there is a readie way to Heauen To which agréeth that pretie Conference betwixt the Husbandman the Sayler wherein the Husbandman asked whether the Saylers father liued or no he answered no. Where died he said the Husbandman At sea saith the Sailer And where your Grandfather At sea also And where your great Grandfather At sea still saith the Sailer Good Lord then saith the Husbandman do not you feare to go to sea since so many of your Ancestors died there I pray you saith the Sailer let me likewise know of you before I answere you whether your Father liue or no and hée answered no. Where then died hee In his bed saith the Husbandman And where your Grandfather and Great Grandfather In their beds also saith hee I thanke God And good Lord then saith the Sayler are not you also afraide to goe to bed since so many of your Ancestors died there So one Question quit another wittily and both of them should teach vs that no place can hurt a setled Christian but as well from Sea as Land the Lord can giue a gracious passage to his Kingdome which hea in mercie graunt vs euer 4. In the death of the first borne Note againe the degrées of Gods punishments in these plagues First hee touched their water sent them Frogges Flies Lice and such other things gréeuous indéede but not so néere them as their goods Secondly the Lord touched their goods A greater plague than the former yet not so néere them as their owne bodies Thirdly therefore hee touched their very bodies by biles and blisters botches and sores verie gréeuous vgly yet he spared their liues But now when all the former would not serue he commeth to life it selfe and smiteth all their first borne that there was no house wherein was not death that of the déerest What may we then sée but a continual encreasing of Gods wrathfull scourges rods as long as wee shall spurne against him and not obey his holy wil Let it touch vs and turne vs awake vs and warne vs to take vp betimes How long we haue followed our owne waies and cast behinde vs the waies of God the Lord knoweth well and wee must also consider What crosses and losses haue likewise béene imposed vpon vs hitherto should bee remembred For they haue all béene Gods messengers as these plagues were to Pharaoh to drawe vs to obedience and if they will not serue the Lord will write as some Judges doo ad grauiora that is the Lord wil encrease his wrath as he did here till it come to very life it selfe Which being once lost in his displeasure the soule also is lost with the body and both of them sent to during woe for euer Urge him then no further as this cursed Pharaoh did but to day if you will heare his voice turne vnto him in true amendment of life and hee shall turne vnto you in mercie and loue eternall 5. Yea Sir God may happily deale thus with some poore people for example sake but he will regard the better sort of men and women who are of reputation in the world and not bring these heauie thinges vpon them But no saith your Chapter heere for this plague must light vpon all sorts from the first borne of Pharaoh which sitteth vpon the throne vnto the first borne of the Maid-seruant that grindeth at the Mill yea the Lord will not spare the very beasts No honours therefore or riches no friends or strength no pompe or port in this world may defend from him but he will smite all degrées and therefore let all degrées profit by it He will bring downe the mightie from their seates and cast euen Crownes vnto the dust Golde and Siluer are drosse before him and nothing can helpe but a reformed heart The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit A broken and a contrite heart the Lord shall neuer despise Trust to this but bid all earthly Titles stand aloofe for they will not serue 6. Then there shall be a great crie throughout all the Land of Egypt such as was neuer none like nor shall be This is a consequent of Gods Plagues euer wheresoeuer they light Cries and great Cries woes and great woes But shall any good Childe offend his Heauenly Father till he force him to make him crie Shall wee not thinke of the daies of truth and peace till wee heare in euery
the destroying Angell as many as should be sprinkled with it that is should make particular application of it to themselues For it is not the blood without sprinkling will helpe Christ dying for all sufficientlie but not effectuallie because all take not holde of the fruite of him 8. It was to bee eaten rost with fire not rawe nor boyled or sodden in water â—ery aptlie shadowing the bitter passion which our Sauiour should endure beeing indéede tormented in the most cruell manner they could Cuius corpus acerbissimis cruciatibus in cruce inassatâ—m ac veluti torrefactuus errat VVhose body was rosted and as it were broyled with bitter cruelties of despite and paine Also it must be eaten with vnleauened bread that such bread might put them euer in remembrance of the sodaine and hastie manner of their deliuerance when they were forced to carie their dough vnleauened vpon their backes ver 34. Againe because Leauen signifieth both corrupt Doctrine and corrupt manners Math. 16. 12. Therfore by vnleauened bread was taught and shadowed that wee must abstaine from both if wee will be worthie partakers of Christ in the Sacrament Seauen daies together to eate such bread ver 15. 19. 20. represented vnto them how serious and continued their meditation should be of such a Great mercie as their Deliuerance was And if they so of the shadowe what we of the truth namely of our Deliuerance from Hell death Deuill and damnation Is a light short and perfunctorie Remembrance of these things once at Easter enough for a Christian man or woman no no and therefore carie another care with you or else be assured it will be easier for the Iewe than for you in that day 9. It was to be eaten with sower hearbes to represent againe the sowernes of the passion of Christ Iesus whose gripes and touching woes the Euangelists set out in many words as that his soule was heauie vnto the death his cries strong O Father Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me his prayer so vehement his agonie so great that blood for sweate burst out of his face and an Angell was sent to comfort him Were not these sower hearbes c. Others thinke they were willed to vse these hearbs to put themselues euer in minde of their sower estate in the Land of Egypt vnder Pharaoh and his Officers out of all which miserie they were deliuered by a gracious God either the one vse or the other was fit 10. Nothing must be reserued till the morning but if any were left it was to be burned with fire to shew both literally mystically that both they and all true beleeuers should be fully deliuered they out of Egypt and both they and all the Faithfull out of sinnes Bondage by the true Paschal Lambe Wherefore as then it should haue béene a gréeuous transgression to reserue part and not wholly to eate it making a diuision of that which ought to be whole so now is it as odious damnable before God to receaue the Bread and not the Cup as Poperie teacheth to doo or to affirme that Christ hath fréed vs from originall sinne but left vs to our selues to make satisfaction for our other sinnes partly in this life and partly in Purgatorie For this is not to eate the Lambe whole but to make a diuision and to reserue part till the morning Their Apish burning also of their consecrated Hosts vpon occasion may héere be thought vpon and more and more their absurd imitations of these Mosaicall Ceremonies be noted Praecepit prius numeros sufficientes ad esum Agni simul imolare pascha docens eos fraternam charitatem miserecordiam erga pauperes Iam admonet vt reliquiae carnium comburantur nec seruentur in posterum diem hoc pacto compelleus illos accersere egenos ad festum communiter celebrandum Deinde quód vetat carnium quippiam relinqui in crastinum sic intelligimus quód futura vita symbolis non indiget ipsas enim res tunc intuebimur Hee commaunded before saith Theodoret a sufficient number to eate the Passeouer teaching them thereby brotherly Charitie and mercie to the poore Now hee admonisheth that what was left should be burned and not reserued till the next day so as it were compelling them to call the poore and needie to them Againe in that nothing must be left till the morrowe wee may vnderstand by it how in the life to come there shal be no vse of signes for as much as we shall behold the things theÌ„selues Now the paschal Lamb we know was a signe c. 11. They must eate it with their loines girt their shooes on their feete their staues in their hands c. That is they must eate it like passengers and trauellers ready to depart figuring so in shew that whosoeuer is a right Eater of the true paschal Lambe Christ Iesus by beléeuing on him hee must not stick downe his staffe in this world and say in his heart It is good being here but he must euer estéeme him selfe as a pilgrime and stranger haue his loynes girt his shooes on and his staffe in his hand readie to depart when the Lord calleth without any looking backe vnto Sodom and sinfull cleauing to this wicked world for we haue not heere an abiding Citie Which how they doo who make this world their GOD much more thinking of it both by day night than they doo of God would be thought of whilest there is time to amend the fault Surely this kinde of men women eate not the passeouer as they ought and therefore their danger is great Note also by the way how He saith it was the Lords passeouer when it was but a Signe of his passing ouer like vnto that Gen. 17. ver 13. with many more Whether they sate or stoode if you aske I take it to be out of Question that they stood but afterward when they were deliuered they sate as we reade of Christ with his Disciples To giue a reason wherof some say that it was the manner of seruants to stand of freemen to sit therefore they now stood as a token of their bondage and seruitude in Egypt but afterward being deliuered they sate in token of their fréedome Yet I rather thinke that they after sate because they vsed after the passeouer eaten to take their owne Supper to bid the poore to them thankfully distributing Gods gifts reioycing for Gods great mercies to them We kneele at our eating and it is the fittest and most séemely manner for vs offering to God our prayers thanksgiuing as we doo When in the 12. verse God said I will execute iudgement vpon all the Gods of Egypt S. Hierome reporteth it out of the Hebrew Writers that in the very same night they departed out of Egypt Omnia Egypti templa destructa fuisse sine terrae motu siue iactu fulminum All the Temples of Egypt were ouer-throwne either
wisheth a Benefice forget his dutie when hee hath got it and suffer his people the Lords Lambes to perish by his sloath Thus doth the Seruant when hee is become a Maister and thus doo thousands who when they were vnmaried and had little thought and said if they had some portion to liue vpon some reasonable competent estate O how would they serue God and doo good things to their power But all is forgotten and they are not the same persons when the Lord in mercie hath giuen them more cause to serue him than euer they had Followe this Meditation farther your selfe and thinke often in your heart what a swéete killing poyson Prosperitie is to many a one and how néedefull this Note of Moses was That they should Remember their duties to God when they were come into that pleasant Land of Promise 15. The Cōmaundement To teach their children what the Passeouer meant noteth vnto vs how the Word Sacraments should goe together not hiding in an vnknowne tongue by neglect of preaching what Gods ordinance is but plainly openly euer ioyning Doctrine to it that the people of God may knowe the Lords meaning in his holy Sacraments so vse them as they ought to his glory and their cōfort Yea the children you sée should not be brought vp in ignorance as ours are to the great prouocation of Gods wrath against vs. But euen when they are young taught and tolde what a Sacrament is and what is meant by the Paschal Lambe for thus would they prooue good seruants of God when yéeres came on and the Lord be honoured in our séede when we are dead Which whether it can be without a blessing from his hand both vpon them and whatsoeuer we leaue vnto them iudge in your owne soule when you haue considered well how sweete and gracious God is how many are his promises how faithfull he euer is in them Doo therefore as followeth in this your Chapter of this people ver 7. They bowed thēselues and worshipped That is they thankfully receaued the Lords pleasure at Moses mouth not as the word of man but as it was in déede the Word of God And they went their way and did as the Lord commaunded Moses and Aaron A blessed obedience both in hearing and doing a chéerefull alacritie and readines such as gladded the heart of Moses and euer will glad all godly Ministers Chronicled héere vp in the Booke of God by the direction of God to the lasting praise of them that were so touched and moued to obey God in his mercie make it also profitable to thy soule good Christian Reader that thou likewise in the Booke of life mayst be Chronicled vp for euermore Amen The second part 1. COncerning the death of the first borne which was the second generall Head noted before to be in this Chapter that which hath béene spoken before in the Denunciation may suffice to which I refer you praying that héere may be obserued the great care of Almightie God to haue this thing well remembred when againe he thus repeateth it with all his Circumstances of time of persons their awaking their crying their desire to bee rid of the Israelites their forcing of them away in all hast c. Surely Gods works for mankinde in generall or for any of vs all in particular to be forgotten must néedes be most displeasing vnto him when we sée such care as this to preserue in his church children a due Remembrance of them Theodoret speaking of these first-borne saith Cur interfecit primogenita Aegypti Propterea quòd Israële prmimogenita Dei Pharaoh nimis durae subiecerat seruituti Hoc enim ipse Dominus Deus dixit Filius meus primogenitus Israel c. Why did he slay the first borne of Egypt Euen because Pharaoh had subiected his first borne Israel to too hard and cruell a bondage For thus speaketh the Lord of Israel Israel my first-borne Sonne c. Againe in this that the first-borne only dyed both of man and beast not the second-borne nor the third-borne wée may with profit well obserue how the differences of children are knowne to God who is first who is second and who is third which may yéelde this vse neuer for any childe to goe about with craft and subtilty or any vnlawfull inuention of man to thrust himselfe into the place and prerogatiue thereof which God in his prouidence hath not giuen him but to abide in the order disposed to him of God and to trust in his mercy who so disposed for feare lest God who knoweth our order seuerely punish vs for breaking his order He could haue made the yongest the eldest if he had pleased he could haue made the 3. to be the 2. if he had so liked But he hath not done it and what he doth is euer best til his owne hand alter the same A contented minde much pleaseth God and a working spirit contrary to his Will as much offendeth him Let it be thought on for there is too much cause in the world giuen and sinne is counted Wisedome 2 This mightie power of God is fearefull and comfortable Fearefull for that in one night yea in one instant and with one word as it were he destroyed so many first-borne in Egypt Comfortable because what iudgment soeuer he vseth and executeth against the wicked yet he can saue his owne in the very middest of death and danger So that not a haire of their heades shal be hurt Thousands may fall on the right hand and tenne Thousands on their left yet no harme happen to them Also this gratious Clemency and Mercy in the Lord is most comfortable who when he could as easily and as iustly haue destroyed all yet in his goodnes that hath neither bottome nor measure he taketh but the first-borne so gratiously humbleth thē by a few This is that which the Prophet speaketh when he beggeth of the Lord in wrath to remēber Mercy so noting his manner and nature euer full of pitty long suffering 3 Then Pharaoh called to Moses and Aaron saying get you hence c. That is he sent his Messengers vnto them to will them to depart For Moses saw him no more after the departing mentioned in the tenth Chapter the last verse And in the eleuenth Chapter verse eight you sée Moses foretold that thus his seruants should intreat him to depart Euer till now Pharaoh had some exceptions either of their Children or of their Cattell c. But now all are put in a libertie graunted vnto all and glad and glad to be deliuered of them Thus can God with his mighty arme bring downe the proude stomakes of the greatest and make them yéelde to his Will wholly not in part A fruitfull consideration for those that dayly amongst vs vse to limmit their obedience to God saying either openly or secretly in their hearts Herein will I follow my Teacher and herein I will not Adultery
at large reade in the exposition of that Commandement So great is the honour of Parents before God and so sharpe a Iudge is God against all abusers of them Little thought of by too many in our daies the rather because continually in the Church there is not a beating of these points of Catechisme into Childrens heades and hearts by carefull Ministers O that they woulde bée once drawen to doo this dutie in their seuerall Churches Soone soone shoulde they finde the Fruite of it and the greatnesse of their Sinne in so long neglecting it In Plato an heathen we reade the like law wherein is decréed that all beating and contumelies of Parents should bée punished with perpetuall banishment and death By the Romane lawes the slaier of his parents was not to be slaine either with sword or fire or other ordinary punishment sed in sutus culeo c. sowed in a sacke with a Dogge a Cocke a Viper and an Ape he should be throwne into the Sea or Riuer that the ayre whilest he liued and the earth when he was dead might be denied him who so had wronged them that gaue him a life and beeing in the ayre and vpon the earth A good Writer testifieth hee saw one put to death at Tigurine who had cursed and reuiled his Mother 5 He that stealeth a Man and selleth him if hee be found with him shall dye the death To flocke away as wee speake a mans seruant Man or Maide or to buy or sell a freeman and so to bring him into bondage was a grieuous sinne with God and therefore thus seuerely punished Thus sinned the brethren of Ioseph against him when they sold him to bee a bondman and to be vsed as pleased the buyers which might haue béene so as twentie deathes had béene better Great therefore was their sinne in that action This law is to be referred to the 7. Commandement and to the 5. also 6. When men striue together and one smite an other with the stone or with the fist and he dye not but lyeth in bed If he rise againe and walke without vpon his staffe then shall he that smote him go quite meaning for mans law saue onely he shall beare his charges for his losse of time and shall pay for his healing By the stone or fist are meant all other things whereby any wound is giuen although these onely bée named for example For with sword or dagger or any weapon all was one if hée were wounded and recouered so that hée was as fit for his vocation as before then this was the law but if he were maimed then otherwise If a man smite his seruant or his mayde with a rod and he dye vnder his hand he shal surelie bee punished But if he continue a day or two he shall not be punished for hee is his money These lawes of God were fitted for the state of that people when many things were indured which were not allowed If the seruant dyed presentlie it was more grieuous and therefore punished but if hee liued a time after not so yet before God it was murder also though by Mans law he escaped both in regard he was his money in his masters power and also because there might in that daye or two happen some other cause of death than that beating Perfection in these lawes wée must not looke for because God was pleased to beare with much weakenesse But yet know wée euer what his Morall law requireth and follow that which forbiddeth the abusing of seruants aswell as of others because they also beare the Image of God and God careth for them as hath béene shewed 7 If a man striue and hurt a Woman with childe so that her childe depart from her and she yet dye not hee shal be surely punished as the womans husband shall appoint him or he shall pay as the Arbiters determine But if death follow thē shal he paye life for life eye for eie tooth for tooth hand for hand foote for foote Burning for burning wound for wound stripe for stripe c. Still obserue how these lawes tend to the explanation of some of the Ten Commandements and referre this to the fift The light of Reason and Nature giuen vs of God teacheth That what measure we mete it is iust we should receiue euen the like againe That hee that taketh the sword should perish with the sword That he which spoileth should be spoiled That by what a man sinneth by that he should be punished That what a man doth the same he should suffer That euil should hit the worker and the offendor be pressed with his owne example This law of equalitie was in effect thus also in the 12. Tables at Rome the equitie thereof béeing deriued to them either from other Nations or by the light of Nature The verse saith Iusta malis haec admisso pro crimine paena est Si quae fecerunt eadem patiantur ipsi It is verie iust if men suffer the same things of others which they haue done to others If any man obiect that by Christ in the fifth of Matthew this law is repealed or was disliked we answere neither but there our Sauiour condemneth the abuse of this law according to priuate affections and for the nourishing of a lust to reuenge by priuate persons that are not Magistrates and neuer would be intreated to forgiue any Whereas he liketh euer in his children mercy and kindnesse and patience and so to ouercome our enemies as his words shew Recompence not euill for euill but ouercome euill with goodnesse 8 The other lawes that follow in this Chapter of setting seruants free for hurts done them by smiting Of the Oxe that should gore any bodie Of digging a well whereby my neighbours cattle receiue harme falling into it Of harme by one beast done to an other and such like they are so easie that without any Commentarie you may by reading of them be satisfied All of them teach vs with that care we should liue of our Neighbours goods as well as of our owne no way hurting either the one or the other small or great frée or bond but peaceably spending our daies with all men and doing what good wée can any way God wée sée is iust and we should be iust God careth for the safetie and well béeing not onely of all sorts of Men but euen of the very brute beasts and we must learn to doo the like that by our resembling of him we may be knowne to be his Children one day to inherite with his deare Sonne in his eternall kingdome This will not such cursed courses as many men delight in bring them to who in oppressing their neighbours in hurting their seruants in spoyling mens goods and killing their Cattle in fightings and striuings and all euill take their great and dayly pleasure Who hath eares to heare shall heare and to others doe what we can
his Sonnes sake giue it vs. Againe you may note here how Moses doubleth ouer and ouer in this Chapter the foulenesse of their fault calling it a great sinne a grieuous sinne c. so learning you not to extenuate faultes before God if you sue for mercie but to set them out in their true colours that mercie may the more appeare 4 Touching this Booke of life you must know it to be a figuratiue Spéech borrowed from the manners of men who vse Bookes and writings for their memorie and not conceiue that God hath or néedeth any such things It is therefore in sense as if Moses had said O Lord pardon them or depriue me of that saluation which is as sure before thee as if it were registred and written in a book Such borrowed speeches you haue more in Scriptures as you may remember In the Psalme you read of a Booke wherein Dauid saith Were all his members written which day by day were fashioned when as yet there were none of them In the Reuelation you read of bookes againe when he saith I sawe the dead both great and small stand before God and the Bookes were opened c. And for the Booke of life you read persons written in it of two sortes one as it seemed the other true indeed Of the first speaketh the Psalme Let them be wiped out of the Booke of the liuing and not be written among the righteous meaning wherein they séemed to be written or might perswade themselues they were written but indêed were not For then they could not be wiped out Of the later you read here and in other places Where though Moses speake of rasing out yet indéede there is no such matter being nothing but the eternall election of God which neuer can be altered This is more plaine in the words following when God answered Moses that Whosoeuer sinned against him he would put him out of the Booke meaning hee would make it appeare that he neuer was written in it For the house built vpon the Rocke can neuer fall They should deceiue the verie Elect if it were possible as if he should say but it is impossible Hee that commeth to mee I neuer cast away No man taketh my sheepe out of my hand and many such other places Lastly consider and note here how he biddeth Moses go on with his charge but for the people he wil visit them vers 34. And so the Lord plagued the people because they caused Aaron to make the Calfe which he made vers 35. It telleth Magistrates and Ministers that they may not desist from their dueties for the peoples frowardnes but indeuouring to their vttermost to reforme them they must go on though they perish and euen in them so perishing they shall be a sweet sauour to the Lord. That Aaron thus escaped among them if you thinke of it Answere your selfe The Lord knoweth whom to spare for their amendment and whom for a time to spare though he know they will neuer amend O how vnsearchable are his iudgements and his waies past all finding out Grieuous and thrise grieuous is the sinne of Idolatrie that not for Moses his so earnest prayer may be fréed wholy from all further punishment though in part the Lord yéeldeth as vers 14. you saw God make it sinke where it is so much vsed by deceiued Romish Recusants CHAP. 33. 1 GReat was the sinne which this people had committed mentioned in the former Chapter and therefore the Lord whose mercie hath neither bottome nor measure not willing the death of any sinner much lesse of so many thousands but rather that by repentance pardon may be procured in this Chapter gratiously vseth the meanes that their hearts may smite them with true féeling of their fault and so they turne and be spared Their sinne I say was great and great sinnes are not so easily repented of as they ought to be Againe in sinnes of this kinde namely when they are coloured and couered ouer with a good intention by them to serue to GOD most hardly are men and women drawen to acknowledge an errour and mistaking Matters of the second Table committed against our neighbour we much better discerne than matters of the first Table concerning the worship of God For here we thinke wholy our meaning should be accepted which was to worship God be the thing we do eyther neuer so void of warrant in the word or neuer so contrarie to the word The meanes that God vseth here is by letting them know that he will be no more with thē as he hath beene nor trauell with them as he hath done Moses shall goe on with them to the land which God had promised to giue thē And to send his Angell to driue out the Canaanites But himself would not go for they were a stif-necked people lest he should consume thē in the way The Lord noteth a maner of repentāce namely to put away their costly rayment frō thē not that this is a necessarie part of Repentance alwaies but that at this time by this outward signe the Lord would haue them testifie that which is néedfull indéed the true remorse and sorrow of their harts And vpon the hearing of this fearefull newes that indéed the Lord would thus deale with them they cast from them accordingly their best attire and sorrowed for their fault 2 For further working of this sauing sorrow in them the Tabernacle wherein the Lord will conferre with his seruant Moses vntill the other now so much spoken of was readie is by the appointment of God to Moses pitched without the host farre of from the host that by this signe also it might be shewed how God was estranged from them for their sinne who earst so comfortably and so powerfully had shewed himselfe for them and amongst them All which things religiously considered manifest vnto our soules what a sweete God the Lord whom we serue is who thus séeketh his lost people euen a father ful of all pittie compassion that they may returne to him againe and haue that which so ill they haue deserued his fauour and loue for euer Will this God can you thinke in your conscience euer cast away the poore sinner that commeth in sorrow when he worketh thus to draw men to sorrow Féele and be comforted with it 3 And when Moses went out vnto the Tabernacle all the people rose vp now reuerencing him whom before they spake verie lightly of saying This Moses we know not what is become of him What caused this but that still he was in fauour with God and they out So so shall a sound and vpright heart to God euer in the end procure honor howsoeuer for a time contēpt may be shewed for God will honour them that honour him it is his Word and it shall neuer fayle That vnion that was betwixt God and his seruant Iohn Baptist when he was true to God and
it suffice and bée carefull rather to attaine to it than curiously and vnprofitably to sift searh the manner of it 7 The couering of Moses face with GODS hand till he was past him is but a borrowed spéech from the fashion of men who vse to holde their hands ouer their eyes when they looke vpon the Sunne for the brightnesse and glorie thereof is more than their eyes can indure It is fit therefore to note and teach vs the incomprehensible Maiestie and glorie of God aboue all power in man to looke vpon but it may not leade vs to any erronious conceipt the God hath hands or humane forme or did thus in any materiall maner So his back parts note such a measure of glory as Moses a mortal man was able to indure Otherwise God bath no back nor back parts but is a Spirit incoÌ„prehensible aboue al mans strength to know fully as he is in maiestie glorie substance and nature We may be said to see the back parts of GOD because there is much more which wée know not than which wée knowe and wée must still goe forward while wée liue in the knowledge of him Deus videri non potest quia visu clarior coÌ„prehendi non potest quia tactu purior non aestimari quia sensu maior est Ideo euÌ„ digne aestimanus â—uÌ„ inaestimabileÌ„ dicimus In nostra dedicaÌ„dus est meâ—te in nostro consecraÌ„dus est pectore c. God cannot be seen saith S. Cyprian because he is brighter than our sight God cannot be comprehended because he is more pure than can be touched he cannot be esteemed as he deserueth because he is greater than our sense Therefore we rightly estimat him when we say hee is inestimable In our minde he is to bee dedicated and in our breast to be consecrated c. Solemne est Deum dicere inuisibilem cum sit luxclarissima ineffabilem cum multis insigniatur nominibus Attribuunt ergo ei priuationes vt habituum exellent iam demonstrent It is vsuall to call God inuisible when indeede he is a most cleere light to call him ineffable when indeede he hath many Names The reason is that these negatiues or priuations might shew the ercellencie of the affirmatiue or habit CHAP. 34. 1. THere is little in these Chapters following which hath not bin touched already in the former and therefore I may in fewe words end them and referre you to that which hath béene said First then you read here that the former Tables béeing broken the LORD renueth them againe And obserue these things for your good Moses is commanded to hewe the stones but the Lord would write in them so may Gods Ministers by preaching and crying vpon men as it were hew their stoniehearts that is prepare them for writing but onely the Lord must write in them by the finger of his blessed Spirit and no man can make any thing enter without him Paul may plant c but HEE HEE giueth all increase Cathedram in coelo habet qui corda mouet His chaire is in Heauen that mooueth the heart And did God write before the stones were hewed No. Nomore assure your selfe will he euer in your heart set any good if you contemne and despise the outward hewing and preparing of you by the Word in the Ministerie of his seruants Take héede the refore what you doo you despise not men but GOD and your owne good Others by these former Tables broken and latter Tables remaining haue thought to bée figured the abrogation of the Old Law and the establishment of the New the law of the Gospell The cutting oâ—â— of the Iewes and the grafting in of the Gentiles Our old corruption which must bee broken and our new regeneration which must come in place c. 2 And bee readie in the morning that thou mayst come vp early to the mount Sinai c. The godly must bee ready to ascend at all houres when the LORD shall appoint and they neither must nor will stay to bid their friends farewell or to regarde any earthly impediment whatsoeuer O Lord make vs thus readie euer For here wee haue no abiding Cittie Early earely must wée ascend and so did the Apostle when he desired to be loosed and to bee with Christ Forward not backeward was that happie man and so must we be 3 Let no man come vp with thee c. Feare and reuerence is euer fit for holy things presuming boldnesse sauoureth neuer of that Holy Spirit whose effects feare and reuerence are Moses did with spéede as God commanded hew two Tables of stone and went vp earely Two biddings hée néedeth not and a thousand thousand will not serue vs c. 4 And the Lord descended in the cloud c. Moses ascendeth and GOD descendeth So is it in our manner of knowing him we must ascend in heart and minde and will he dooth descend most gratiously submitting himselfe to our weake and féeble capacities c. 5 Conferre the 6. and 7. ver with that which was in the former Chapter ver 18. and so foorth and the one will notably explane the other 6 Then Moses made haste and bowed himselfe to the earth and worshipped The greater measure of manifestation of God and his truth is vouchsafed vnto vs the more ought wée to humble our selues and bee thankfull worshipping and adoring that God which so mercifully dealeth with vs. Againe when GOD vouchsafeth signes of his presence let vs haste vnto him and not suffer him to passe away whilest wée are hindred with this and that Hee giueth signes of his presence in the Word preached hee giueth signes of his presence in my heart by good motions O let him not passe away but make haste as Moses here did bow down and worship c. 7 Moses said O Lord I pray thee if I haue found fauour in thy sight that the LORD would now go with vs for it is a stiffe-necked people c. The promises of God kindle prayer and see it in Moses here wherefore vse when you are dull to pray to meditate a time vpon the promises of GOD generall particular so many so sweete so full of power to inflame an heart halfe dead and when you féele the fire kindle then pray it will flame out at last His prayer is for assistance in his charge and well noteth the heauie burden of Gouernment which so many desire that little think of the weight Domosthenes said if there were two waies before him the one leading to Gouernment and the other to death he would take that which leadeth to death before the other Aeschines desired to be deliuered from Gouernment as from a mad dog Traian said who knew the cares of an Emperours Crowne would not take it vp in the way if he found it there Such and many such Spéeches read we al to note the great charge and to snubbe the vaine ambition of Man Yet
from his body And his head not plucked from his body to signifie he should not be taken from his Church which is his body by any death but raise himselfe vp againe and bée with his to the end of the world Thus then the Elect of God comfort themselues both in aflictions of the world and in death it selfe that forasmuch as their Head thus liueth and neuer was nor can â—e plucked of from them therefore as he hath ouercome so shall they by him ouercome both the malice of the world and the power of Satan and enter into ioy with him for euermore 4 The Maw and feathers were not offered but cast-away as vncleane so still noting that which I haue often noted the puritie of the Lord Iesus our true Sacrifice 5 The Priest did cleaue it with his wings but not deuide it in sunder againe to shadow that though Christ dyed yet hée was not quite extinguished but should rise againe and liue To which end also it was that not a bone of him was broken as were theirs that dyed with him That being also figured in the Paschall Lambe Lastly it is repeated here for a sweete fauour vnto the Lord and not in vaine but to the great comfort of all such poore offerers For thus are they assured that albeit they were not of abilitie to offer vnto him Oxen and Shéepe or sacrifices of great cost yet were they as déere to him as those that could so doe and their Sacrifice of Turtles or two Pigeons yéelded as swéete a sauour O swéete still for this God is not changed but the same for euer and therefore still euen two mites of a poore widow graciously accepted still a little spice a little Goats-haire or what my power is to bring vnto him is accepted So that I haue no cause to grieue at my pouertie if my heart be sound and therefore looke vnto that and be chéerefull in this Thus haue you viewed this Chapter And now a little with your selfe thinke of the maner of Reuelation then and now What a darke and dimme light I say again was that to this vouchsafed vnto vs now Surely so darke as the Apostle feareth not to call that Night and ours Day saying The night is gone the day is come God for his Christ his sake make vs thankefull But now that these kindes of burnt Offerings and Sacrifices are gone is there no sort left vnto vs Christians yes indéede First it is a Sacrifice to God most exceptable To preach the Gospell and it is euen as that song which Dauid speaketh of pleasing the Lord better than a yong Bullocke that hath hornes hoofes Thus S. Paul offered vp the Gentiles to God for a sacrifice winning theÌ„ by his Ministrie vnto the truth Rom. 15. verse 16. A Sacrifice so farre passing all others as man passeth all brute beasts And the faithfull Preachers of the Gospell dayly doe the like Secondly it is a Chiefe kinde of burnt Offering for Christians To beléeue in Iesus Christ by the Gospell because he that beléeueth offereth Christ dayly to God for his sinnes than the which nothing can be more pleasing to Christ and his Father Thinke of it early and thinke of it late when you are vpon your knées desiring mercie and pardon fauour and comfort both presently and to death yet laden and ouer-laden with a great burthen of gréeuous sinnes blemishes and imperfections hatefull to God and hatefull to your selfe through Grace giuen What hope haue you to spéed and preuaile but by his Sacrifice you will take Christ your déere Sauiour in the armes of your Faith and say holy Father looke vpon him not vpon me without him For then I dye in iustice but vpon me in him and then shall I liue in mercie Thus you offer Christ dayly and it is the Chiefest Sacrifice still of all beléeuers Thirdly it is another kinde of burnt Sacrifice left vs To offer-vp our selues wholly to God our selues I say our soules and bodyes a liuing holy and acceptable Sacrifice enery member to doe his Will and not ours Of which S. Paul speaketh to the Ro. Chap. 12. 1. Fourthly euery good worke commaunded of God and done of vs in Faith is a pleasing Sacrifice in this sort to God As Almes Coloss 4. To doe iustly to loue mercie and to humble thy selfe to walke with thy God Mich. 6. vers 8. To offer spirituall Sacrifices sée S. Peter Lastly all our aflictions paciently indured according to the Psalme The Sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit c. Doe therefore what God willeth or suffer what he appointeth as you are taught and you offer Sacrifice dayly to God Thus let this Chapter profit you CHAP. II. FRom bloody Sacrifices now to Unbloody and because the Burnt-offering described in the former Chapter could not bée without the Meat-offering as you may sée Num. 15. 4. therefore before he procéede to other kindes of Offerings Moses describeth in this Chapter the Meat-offering laying downe thrée sorts of it The first Of raw Flesh vers 1. to the 4. The second of Flowre not raw but baked fryed sodden vers 4. to the 14. The third sort of Corne not ground to Flowre verse 14 to the end For the institution of these Meat-offerings it was not because God hath néede of any meate or smelling sauours in the Psalme he telling vs that if he be hungry he needes not shew vs c. Neither yet that the déede done might merit and turne away Gods anger For he that offereth an oblation is as if he offered Swines blood and he that remembreth incense as if he blessed an Idoll saith God by his Prophet but by these the Lord would teach to his Church and children good things concerning Christ their Sauiour and his comming good Lessons also for life and maners as by particulars will appeare First This Meat-offering of Flowre and Corne might greatly comfort them touching their labours and assure them that yearly God would blesse their Corne and their fields because it pleased him to be a partner with them in those fruites 2 The Meat-offering of flesh might draw their hearts to God in all times of their dyet teaching them that God giueth and God sanctifieth God prospereth and is the staffe both of bread and meat They are not vpon our tables by chance but by his kinde prouidence and great goodnesse and therefore to forget him were to become most vnworthy of those blessings 3 The Flowre must bee fine Flowre to signifie still vnto them the cleannesse and puritie of CHRIST in whom there was no sinne neither any guile found in his mouth Of whom is all puritie in any of his members our foulnesse being washed by his blood It taught also that our best things should be giuen to God and not our worst as our manner is 4 The Meat-offering taught that Christ is the remedie against all hunger As am I gréeued with sin and hunger for
GOD is neuer pleased with any thing that is ours whilest wee retaine and keepe that which is not ours But marke well an Offering to the Lord beside that satisfaction of men And through all Moses finde me a place where sinne is taken away otherwise than by Sacrifice Now whatsoeuer is attributed to the Sacrifices the same is plainly taken away from mans workes And if it was neuer the meaning of God to tye that people to the out-ward Sacrifice it selfe but by the same to leade them to Christ shadowed by the Sacrifice then apparant it is to all men that there is no meanes to take away sinne but onely by Christ Which all men will not confesse because they would establish works in farther strength thaÌ„ God hath giuen 4 Well weigh it againe in the 7. verse and euer throughout these Bookes That the Priest must make the aâ—onement so euer signifying that not in the Sacrifice but in the Priest-hood was the matter Now that Priest-hood noted Christ his Office And therefore as then no Sacrifice pleased but offered by the Priest so at this day nothing of ours as prayer and such like auaileth but in Christ and by Christ our onely and eternall High-Priest Againe the Text saith before the Lord this atonement shall be thereby ouerthrowing the wicked error of them that affirmed a ciuill purgation onely of sinne by those Sacrifices and not any spirituall promise in them Which I say is most wicked as well as false Because so those Sacrifices and Exercises of pietie should no way haue serued to bréede and strengthen Faith in man touching his spirituall estate whereunto in déede they wholly aymed and effectually wrought in the godly that vsed them rightly 5 The second point in this Chapter is concerning the Rites and Ceremonies of the Sacrifices And first of the firevpon the Altar wherwith the Burnt-offering was consumed The Text is thus Then the Lord spake vnto Moses saying Command Aaron and his sonnes saying This is the Law of the Burnt-offering it is the Burnt-offering because it burneth vpon the Altar all the night vnto the morning and the fire burneth on the Altar c. So carefull is God of this continuall burning that if you marke it is repeated ouer and ouer In the 12. verse againe but the fire vpon the Altar shall burne there and neuer be put out Againe in the 13. verse The fire shall euer burne vpon the Altar and neuer goe out c. To this ende the Priests care was to féede it with wood and sée to it day and night and with no other fire might either Sacrifice or Incense be burned and offered to God This fire was carefully kept vpon the Altar to the captiuitie of Babilon and afterward found againe of Nehemias 2. Machâ—b 1. 18. 19 verses Of like from hence might grow that great honour and regard which the Heathens had fire in whereof we read often The Athenians in their Prytaneo and at Delphos and at Rome of those Vestall Virgins continuall fire was kept and of many it was worshipped as a GOD. The Persians called it Orismada that is Holy-fire and in publicke pompe they vsed to carry it before Kings with great solemnitie A merry Tale there is of this god Fire which I will repeate The Chaldeans say our Bookes worshipping this vaine god proudly boasted that of all other gods he was the strongest conquering and consuming all other gods of the Gentiles And no maruell for they were either wood or mettall that by fire might bée defaced This bragge at last came to the eares of a Priest of Canopus This Canopus was Maister of Menelaus shippes and dying in an Jland at the entrie of Nilus the famous Riuer of Egypt caused that Iland to be called after his name and was there honoured for a God This Priest fearing lest his god Canopus the Image béeing belike of some mettall might come in contempt and so his liuing be taken away deuised thus with himselfe Hée got a water-pot full of holes like vnto these that we water gardens withall stopped vp all the holes with waxe filled it full of water painted it very trimme and setting it very artificially vpon the toppe of the old Image of his god Canopus brought him foorth to contend with the Chaldeans god of fire which of them should be the greater The fire was set about him and great expectation in the beholders which way the victorie would goe By and by when the heat of the fire had melted the waxe that stopped the holes of the pot the water began to streame out at all the holes quite put out the fire about it Then there was a cry by all Canopus friends Victorie victorie and from that time Canopus that Idoll was counted through this subtiltie of the Priest the strongest God of all others Thus blinde are men when God giueth not light and thus easily abused when they are blinde We may maruell lesse at this great simplicity if we consider what is taught and held by these that thinke themselues wise in these dayes Namely that the water called Holy-Water sprinkled in the graue of a dead man not only purgeth the same man from all spot of sinne but extinguisheth also in great part that fell-fire which they call Purgatorie-fire Thus you sée mens follyes both of fire and water But passe we them ouer and come to the Matter What might be the reason why God appoynted this Ceremonie of continuall fire vpon the Altar and how may we profit by it First there was figured by it the death of Christ from the beginning of the world Namely that he was the Lambe slayne from the beginning for Mankinde and by this shadow they were led to beléeue That although as yet Christ was not come in the flesh neuerthelesse the fruit of his death belonged to them aswell as to those that should liue when hée came or was come for this fire was continuall and went not out no more did the fruite of his Passion faile to any True-beleeuer euen from the beginning But they were saued by beléeuing that he should come as we are now by beleeuing that he is come Also this fire came from Heauen Leuit. 9. vers 24 and so should Christ in the time appointed This fire was euer in and neuer went out and so is God euer ready to accept our Sacrifices and appointed duties euer ready to heare vs and forgiue vs but we are slow and dull and come not to him as we ought No other fire might be vsed but this and so they were taught to kéepe to Gods Ordinances and to flye from all inuentions of their owne heads For euer it was true and euer will be true In vaine do men worship me teaching for Doctrines mens praecepts Our owne deuises séeme they neuer so wise so fit so holy and excellent they are strange fire not that fire that came from Heauen Not that fire that God will be pleased
in prison by his enemies getting leaue to go into the prison to him on a time gaue him her clothes to escape in and shee taking his remained in his place to abide any danger that might ensue rather than hee should be oppressed by his foes Such those worthy women that when the Citie was besieged by Frederick Barbarossa and at last licence giuen to the women that they might depart taking onely such things with them as they could themselues cary in stead of any worldly riches which they inioyed they tooke vpon their backes and vnder their armes their husbands and children parents and kinsfolks to the eternal praise of their vertue and the great astonishment of their enemies that looked on and saw it Vnfaithfulnesse and treacherie to husbands hath left an other report in Stories if I should enter into it But such hatefull things are better forgotten and neuer knowne These gracefull Vertues let all gracious women thinke of and leaue behinde them the like praise Silence againe or little speach what a vertue what a preseruer of peace if a woman be blessed with it The contrary what hurt and bywords hath it wrought Prouerbio dicitur Tres mulieres nundinas facere The Prouerbe saith That three women make a fayre And words are wanting to women as singing is to the Nightingale who is sayd to bée onely a voyce in respect of the sound shée giueth foorth being so little a Birde as verses are wanting to a Poet Figures of speach to an Orator or false arguments to a Sophister that is they abound with them and often superabound Few words in a woman is a great ornament And many a woman holding her peace is better thought of than when shee speaketh Loquitur aut viro aut per virum A woman speaketh either to her husband or by her husband To her husband orderly and necessarily by her husband as vnwilling to tattle much with strangers séeking the praise of a roling tongue and loosing paraduenture the renowne of modestie and wisedom Looke how milke is said to kill the force of Gun-powder so be euer assured that soft words or silence will do to anger betwixt man and wife And let these things worke a loue of little speach not multiplying wordes with your husband especially when hée is mooued and grieued with some other matters bying and reuying and will hée still he still hauing the last word For surely that doth no good The old Paynters if they pictured a woman were euer wont to put vnder her foote a Snayle aswell to remember this vertue of silence to her which is in the Snayle as of carying her house vpon her backe as the Snayle doth Yet such silence is meant as doth not abandon affabilitie and curtesie when there is cause for this also is another great preseruer of loue and amitie in so much that the wise man saith Mulier comis exhilerat maritum cum humaniter illum tractat cor illius reficit ac recreat A gentle and milde woman maketh glad her husband and when she dealeth courteously with him she refresheth and recreateth his very heart Louing speach is a Phisition to the minde to cléere it and cleanse it from much grief Hee that will take birds may not come to them with a staffe saith the old Prouerbe but a sweete sounding pipe is more auailable and thinke you that shee which will haue her husbands liking must vse harsh and bitter words What a power had wise Abigael ouer that fierce anger of valiant Dauid with her soft words and milde speach euen when hee had but death and blood in his heart towards her husband and his familie for the great contempt shewed vnto him Could rough and sower speaches haue so preuailed No no you knowe fire is not quenched with fire but with cold soft water Pax mansuetudo characteres animae piae Peaceablenesse and mildenesse they are the notes markes and prints of a good minde and of a holy Christian soule But this is enough I will goe no further Try me and trust me you shall not repent it Let the weapons of a woman bée either soft words or modest silence with a dropping teare if there bée wrong done and it shall pierce a heart of stéele working such effects as all the hote speach that an vnbridled tongue can vtter shall not bring foorth Wisedome and discretion againe in a wife O powerfull meane to make loue and to doe much good A wise woman saith the Holy Ghost buildeth her house but the foolish destroyeth it with her owne hands By a wise woman her husband is knowen in the gate when hee sitteth with the Elders of the Land Strength and honour is her clothing and in the latter day shee shall reioyce Shee openeth her mouth with wisedome and the law of Grace is in her tongue c. Communitie of things betwixt couples worketh Amitie and Myne and Thyne betwixt them should not bée heard They are Yoke-fellowes and which is much more they are one therefore their diuided goods may not diuide them but what the one hath the other ought to haue and bée ioynt possessours of whatsoeuer God granteth Let not the man deny what is fit to his wife for shée hath a right and let not the wife grudge her husband hers for hee hath a preheminence If you put water into wine and the water bée more yet it is still called wine and euen so the womans portion put to the mans is called his although hers is the greater If vse be common and loue hearty for names and titles of order and custome wise couples will not contend to the quenching of one sparkle of Loue. Lastly an Houswifely care of her Familie and all things belonging thereunto cleanlinesse order and such like as it beautifieth a woman so pleaseth it a man and the effect of it is loue and liking If these be not the contrary followeth For the first wée all know vnlesse a getter without haue a keeper within hée shall bée like one that filleth a vessell at the other end whereof one draweth out as fast as hée putteth in For the second it both delighteth and profiteth things pleasing more that are fresh and well keept and lasting longer being not dayly vsed The third thing order what a praise it is may appeare by the consideration of your graine onely what a thing it were if all sorts should bee put together Wheat Rye Oates Barley Pease Beanes and not euery kinde layde by it selfe It would ouerthrow the vse and good euen of all or else procure a worke to seuer them againe These things then and such like will worke such Amitie Vnitie and Loue betwixt man and wife that the matter of Diuorce shall neuer come in any question no not in thought by any man indued with either pietie or reason Wherefore I haue rather chosen briefly to note them than to speake any thing of
12 Barreâ—nesse of the earth see example 1. King 17. Esay 5. Amos. 4. c Euill beasts see Deutro 32. and Ezek 5 Besieging of foes plague and â—estilence see 2. King 6. Lament 4. c. O tremble to prouoke this God against you 4 But after all these dreadfull and terrible threats see what you reade vers 42. Then I will remember my Couenant with Iacob and my Couenant also with Isaac c. The land also in the meane season shall be left of them and shall enioy her Sabbaths whâ—lest shee lyeth waste without them but they shall willingly suffer the punâ—shments of their iniquitie because they despised my lawes c. Yet notwithstanding this when they shall bee in the land of their enemies I will not cast them away neither will I abhorre them to destroy them vtterly nor to breake my Couenant with them for I am the Lord their GOD. But I will remember for them the Couenant of olde when I brought them out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the Heathen that I might be their God I am the Lord c. Some are of opinion that these wordes were fulfilled in the captiuitie and deliueraunce out of Babylon But the Iewes perswade themselues that this promise of regard when they should be in the land of their enemies is not yet accomplished but that they shall by vertue héereof bée deliuered one day out of this estate they are now in scattered and dispersed into many places The which conceipt of theirs others thinke to be but an idle dreame alledging that the Law and Prophets were vnto Iohn and that the Iewes shall neuer haue any more gouernment as they had They applie therefore this promise to a true penitent sinner who shall euer bée respected vpon his conuersion albéeit hee neglected the time of grace offered Yet this is no imboldning to presume but a comfort when repentance is true 5 Wayes yet of God his deliuering penitent sinners are diuerse and to bee obserued that wee erre not For some vpon their sorrow God not onely receyueth to mercie and fauour but also deliuereth them out of their present affliction So did hée Manasses the king when béeing for his sinne bound in yron and carryed away captiue the Lord vpon his remorse in those yrons not onely forgaue his sinne but released those bands and brought him to his kingdome againe Others hee receyueth vnto fauour and forgiueth their sinne but yet suffereth them to fall by their outward affliction So did hée to the penitent Theefe vpon the Crosse he receyueth him into Paradise but saued him not from that temporall death The due remembrance of this is a great comfort agaynst the losse of friends in warres and plagues and such like calamities when others escape and do well Let vs therefore cleaue fast vnto God beléeue his mercie feare his iustice So whatsoeuer hapneth vnto vs shall happen for our good one way or other 6 In the 28. of Deutro these blessings and cursings are repeated againe most effectually to moue any heart that hath grace Wherefore I often erhort all that desire to liue godly to read it often that it may power-fully perswade them to bée wise and to take time while time serueth to turne to the Lord while his arme is stretched out to receiue them For with the foolish Virgins to come to late will bee woe without comfort and destruction without helpe Make no tarrying saith Ecclesiasticus to turne vnto the Lord and put not off from day to day for suddainly shall the wrath of the Lord breake foorth and in thy securitie thou shalt be destroyed and thou shalt perish in the time of vengeaunce Hoc in multis impletur sed nemo intellâ—git nec quisquam aduersa sustinens malis suis aestimat irrogari sed quod pertulerit consuâ—tudinis potiusputat esse quam criminis c. This sayth Saint Augustine is fulfilled in many but none vnderstandeth neither doth any man when he suffereth euill perswade himselfe that his sinne is punished but attributeth such happes rather to custome then to crime c. This is a great blindnesse and therefore pray against it and beware of it This Chapter will euer assure vs sin will haue plagues first or last and therefore when they happen complaine of sinne and not of God remembring that true and good saying Quae ratio est vt doleamus nos non audiri à Deo cum ipsi non audiamus Deum Et suspiremus non respici à Deo terras cum ipsi non respiciamus in coelum molestum sit despici à Deo praeces nostras cum praecepta eius despiciantur à nobis What reason is there wee should grieue that God will not heare vs when wee our selues will not heare God Or why sigh we that God will not looke downe to the earth when we our selues will not looke vp to heauen We can despise his precepts and yet he may not despise our prayers We beat our seruants if they offend vs being but men as they are and God may not beate vs for our faults he being our Creator and we but dust Thus make vse of these curses and in stead of them God euer vouchsafe vs for his sonnes sake his blessings CHAP. XXVII This is the last Chapter of this Booke and containeth two generall Heads The matter Of Vowes The matter Of Tythes TOuching the First A Vowe properly signifieth a Promise made to GOD willingly and aduisedly in a matter lawfull and possible In the Booke of Numbers Chap. 30. You may sée what Vowes were lawfull and what not here how lawfull Vowes are to bée performed or redeemed being of that sort that might be redéemed For of Vowes some are commaunded of God and cannot bée redeemed but must néeds be performed such a Vowe is the Vowe of Baptisme of Faith and of newnesse of life in the Lords Supper Of which sort of Vowes the Psalme saith Offer to GOD the sacrifice of prayse and pay thy Vowes to the most High If thou Vowe pay it c. Eccles 5. Some Vowes are simply vnlawfull being either sinnes when they are made or not to bée performed without sinne Some are neither forbidden nor commaunded but indifferent And in these we must take héede that we make them not as any services of God or merite to our selues For true it will euer bée that in vaine doe men worship GOD teaching for doctrine mens precepts In this Chapter obserue sundrie particulars of things named that might bée vowed to God Persons Beastes Houses Fields c. Concerning Persons a man might then vowe either himselfe or such as were subiect to his authoritie and power vnto the seruice of God Thus Anna vowed to GOD the Male-childe which God should giue her if hée in mercie would vouchsafe to giue her one according to her great and earnest desire And shée accordingly performed her vowe when God graciously gaue her
Samuel her sonne But in case a person thus vowed had a desire to be frée againe the Lord permitted that there might be a redemption made according to sexe and age with money And if the partie were so poore that such a rate could not be performed then was the Priest to nominate and appoint the quantitie or summe that should bée payd The proportions named in your Chapter héere are these Verse 3. A Male from 20. yeares to 60. was valued at 50. sicles that is 50. pounds Verse 4. A Female at 30. sicles that is 30. pounds after 5. shillings the ounce sterling Verse 5. From 5. yeares to 20. the Male at 20. sicles the Female at 10. Verse 6. From a Moneth to 5. yeares olde a Male at 5. sicles a Female at 3. Verse 7. From 60. yeares vpward a Male at 15. sicles a Female at 10. Verse 8. If any could not pay this then the Priest rated as I sayd Et hac redemptio fit vt quae morte propria non expletur saltem praetio vouentis deuotio compleatur And this redemption is made saith one that the deuotion which was not made by death at least might be made by the commutation which the Vower should giue 2 The second sort of things that might bée vowed were beastes Verse 9. where you sée if it were a Beast that lawfully might bée offered in sacrifice then was there no redemption allowed of it But if it were any vncleane beast of which men doe not offer a Sacrifice vnto the Lord then it might be redeemed and in case the partie would not redeeme it the Priest might sell it If there were a redemption made then was a fifth part more aboue the valuation to be giuen because it was a kinde of fault at least in shew to take that backe againe which was once giuen to God and to retayne to a priuate vse what was giuen to a religious and holy vse 3 The third sort were Houses Verse 14. when a man shall dedicate his House to bee holy vnto the Lord then the Priest shall value it whether it bee good or bad and as the Priest shall prise it so shall the value be Here also lay a redemption as you may sée in the next verse The fourth sort were fieldes whereof some were by inheritance some by purchase If the Field were inheritance then was there one maner of redemption Verse 16. c. if by purchase then an other verse 22. c. 4 Verse 26. Notwithstanding the first borne of the beasts because it is the Lords first borne none shal dedicate such bee it Bullocke or sheepe for it is the Lords c. You know the first borne were the Lords by an other Law and no redemption might be made of such but they must be left to the seruice of God as they were appoynted either to bée offered in Sacrifice or to be to the vse of the Priests c. 5 There were of Vowes againe two kindes one simple whereof you haue séene these perticulars an other which had an execration or curse ioyned to it if the thing vowed should be changed from the vse and end allotted whereof now your Chapter speaketh in the next place Verse 28 and 29. Notwithstanding nothing seperate from the common vse that a man doth seperate vnto the Lord of all that he hath whether it be man or beast or land of his inheritance may be sold nor redeemed for euery thing separate from the common vse is most holy vnto the Lord. Nothing separate from the common vse which shall be seperate from man shall be redeemed but dye the death Where you must vnderstand by seperate such a seperation or vow as is made with a curse if it be altered In which there was no redemption allowed or sale or alienation any way In this sort if men were vowed they must dye and not be spared But then not innocent men must be vowed but Malefactors that by euill doing deserued death Such were the men of Iericho Iosua 6. and Achan Iosua 7. the Amelakites 1. Sam. 15. and such others which made the sinne of Saul and the people very great when they spared Agag the King and the better sheepe and Oxen and the fatte beastes and the Lambes and all that was good would not destroy them And héere hence sprang that kinde of giuing things to the Church for the seruice of God that you sée in many old Charters in England with a grieuous curse vpon all those that should alter change those things from that vse wherein they shewed their earnest desire to haue things continue as they were giuen 6 Now if you aske why God ordayned these kinde of Vowes the answere is that he did it in two respects First that his people might not follow the fashion of the idolatrous heathens round about them who had their fashion of vowes wicked and sinfull but might be directed in a good sort séeing they would follow some sort Secondly that here-hence might spring some maynteinance for the Minister whereof in all things and by all meanes hee shewed his gracious care 7 They of the Romish Religion as from these Rites and customes of the olde Testament they haue borrowed many things so haue they vowing and many strange Vo 〈…〉 es haue they in vse and high regard They haue also redemptions of their Vowes namely Pardons and dispensations matters of no small profit to them But the Leuiticall Priest-hood béeing ended and all these Ceremonies Rites Customes and Lawes that were not Morall by the comming of the Lord Iesus the truth of all Figures and shadowes and man hauing no power of his owne head to erect and deuise any worship of GOD without his warrant in his Word easily may wée sée and all men with vs what ground their Vowes haue and how pleasing they are to GOD. Their owne Friendes and Fauorites doe say and write In malis promissis rescinde fidem in turpi voto muta decretum fouleVowe change thy determinaâ—ion Quod iâ—cauté vouisti ne facias hastVowed accomplish not Et non erit hoc praeuaricatio sed temeritatis emendatio And this shall not bee any vnfit varying but a most fit reformation of rashnesse Melius est non vouere quam vouere id quod sibi is cui promittitur exolui nolit toVowe then to Vowe that which hee to whom the promise is made will not haue payde to him Virginitas carnis non seruatur mente corrupta intactis corporibus fugit castitas de moribus Virginitie of the flesh is not kept when the minde is corrupt Though the bodie bee neuer touched yet chastitie often flyeth from a man and womans manners With many such like sayings worthy noting 8 Yet let vs knowe that there are two sorts of Vowes Ciuill Vowes and Religious Vowes Ciuil Vowes are such as Men make to Men in honest lawfull and possible things binding themselues thereby to a
the roote of folly and begetteth contempt of all inferiours contempt bréedes sedition and rebellion they warres and warre destruction at last of all both men and titles It is written of Traian that hee was much caried away with vaine-glorie in titles and therefore painted in his house many inscriptions which Constantinus wisely iesting at called Herbam parietariam wall flowers Such a vaine fellow was Herod in the Acts and what a shamefull downfall had hee Let then this law of God for seruants freedome together with all other Scriptures shewing his care of them and their good vsage settle in our hearts the right vse of anthoritie and make vs neither vaine in coueting nor cruell in vsing The boring of his eare was a signe of obedience and figuratiuelie admonished that seruants must not be deafe but quick and readie and willing to heare what is commaunded to them And spiritually that if wee be the Lords seruants he boreth by his holy grace our eare that is he maketh vs haue eares to heare his holy word and wee are not dease we flie not from it we cast it not away wee stop not our eares but with care and zeale and loue we hearken to it as men and women whose eares he hath opened or bored This one thing well marked may shake the hearts and consciences of Popish Recusants so presumptuouslie despising the Lords voice But followe it your selfe I passe away 2. After these lawes concerning seruants follow other lawes concerning Murder and killing which you may referre to the exposition of that commaundement Punishment God still layeth vpon sinne but not euer after one manner Sometimes hee striketh the bodie sometimes the soule and sometimes both Sometimes he toucheth our goods sometime our name and somtimes our friends and deare ones Who can reckon vp his wayes to punish the rebelling man or woman against him His ends also for which he doth thus are sundrie and diuers but all and euer most iust First for his owne iustice who is a consuming fire and must néedes binde either to obey or to be punished Secondly that there may be séene a difference betwixt the good and the bad which could not be if there were not punishment and reward Thirdly for example that others séeing may feare and flie from euill either for loue of vertue or feare of paine Fourthly for the good euen of such as are punished For as Plato could say Paenae ipsis qui perferunt et spectatoribus vtiles sunt Vtrique enim redduntur meliores illi dolore hi exemple Punishment is good for both seer and sufferer amending the one by example and the other by smart Fiftly that these short punishments temporall might put them in minde of the long paines eternall Lastly for the preseruation of the societie and peace of mankinde which by slaughters and bloodshed would be ouerthrowne Euen as we sée good Chirurgions to cut away the putrified member for the safetie of the whole 3. We sée héere degrees of faults taken from the causes For all actions procéeding from the minde or iudgement and the will commaunding the outward members when the minde knoweth what ought to be done and erreth not in the obiect and yet the will goeth contrarie to iudgment the law of God not forced nor compelled but willingly freely such actions are called voluntarie So slewe Caine his brother Abell so tooke Dauid Vrias his wife But when things are done not of election either for probable ignorance as whē the minde erreth or taketh no counsaile or when the wil by violence is hindered or the outward mēbers by a violence forced then are those faults saide to be voluntarie The Lawyers distinguish faults by diuers names which I stand not vpon here remembring for whose vse I draw these notes But in short thus much we learne here that God measureth faults by wil not by Act. Wherevppon it is here saide that willfull murther shal be death and killing without purpose will shall not but an other course is taken For if a man hath not laide waite saith the Text but God hath offered him into thy hand meaning when by chaunce he is killed without any minde so to do which chaunce yet God by his hidden prouidence guideth in such a case I will appoint thee a place whither he shall fly meaning certaine Cities of refuge or Sanctuaries vsed thē in these cases as you may sée in Deut. at large Of which Sanctuaries thus ordained of God for the people and those times sprang our sanctuaries vsed within this Realme and others but nowe in most places put down and forbidden The question of them is disputed to and fro by mens wits the likers of them to continue vse these and such other reasons The Anger conceiued displeasure in the Iudge against a man The power of his aduersarie that persecuteth before that iudge The Difficultie and obscuritie of the cause not quickely to be determined In al which cases they think a Sanctuarie would be fit in a common wealth Secondly against crueltie of Maisters that either should threaten danger to a seruant or by violence seeke to force him to soule matters such a refuge would yeeld cōfort till his cause were known he preuided for Thirdly in the time of warre distres these places gaue safety to many from the bloodie sword murdering hand of inraged enemies for furie a while not weighing right Fourthly in casuall killings without pretended malice great was the vse equity say they of these Sanctuaries Contrariwise they that stand for the taking of them away alleadge many euils and discommodities that grew from them in successe of time through mans corruption albeit at the beginning there was a goodend As incouragement of seruaunts to bee disobedient and very vndutifull Great defrauding of Creditors by vngodly and unconscionable debtors Increasing of thieues and such like euilles many and many Whereupon grew that good Saying of Saint Chrysostome Nullos tam saepe ad ecclesiae asylum fugere quam qui nec Deum nec ecclesiam curabant None more vsually often fled to the Sanctuarie of the Church than they that cared neither for God nor the Church If a man come presumptuously vpon his neighbour to slay him with guile you sée God cōmanded no Sanctuary should saue him but he should be takē from the Altar and dye 4 He that smiteth his Father or Mother shall dye the death This is an other law in this Chap. which maketh for the expositiō of that Cōmandement of honouring them is to be referred to it We may note in it how God dooth not say he that killeth Father or Mother shal be killed for it but he that smiteth so that not so much as a tip is to be giuen to parents vpon paine of death no not wich the tong may wée smite them that is by any euill and vnfit words abuse them as you may