and condition wherein Christ his Lord was interested and concerned yet Moses had not onely this motive of Faith to perswade him to this choice but he had another also and that a powerfull one For he had respect also to the recompence of the Reward that is beleeved the Deliverance of his People was approching and they should receive the promised Inheritance the Land of Canaan a Type and Figure of Heaven Q. But what doth Faith Eye temporall Objects or are temporalties as well as spiritualties taken into the cognizance of Faith or is that true Faith which moves for either of these respects could Moses fight the Lords Battells and look for Pay or Recompence Is not this to be a mercinary Souldier no Voluntiere or rather thus to act Is it not to love our selves and the reward not the Lord and his Service Is it not to serve him for Hire not for Duty A. Indeed it is most true That the Glory of God should be both the prime mover and ultimate end of all actions which are truely Religious because all Religion is to be terminated in God yet our immortall soules whose chiefe felicity and complement is the Union and fruition of God may deservedly challenge our secondary and subordinate thoughts and respects both because that in these respects we ayme at God who is our perfection and reward and also because our respects are regular when we take in the intermediate end with order and respect to the last and chiefest For in this case we overlook our selves by Eying an higher and more glorious Object And for this we have warranty both from those Precepts which enstruct us to seek the Kingdom of God to lay up a sure Foundation of good works For the hope of the Eternall Reward to strive with all care to secure our Election Luke 16.9 1 Cor. 9.24 Tit. 2.12.13 Colos 3.23 and also from those great presidents who have practised before us Moses here in this place Saint Paul Phil. 3.11.12 If by any means I might attain unto the Resurrection of the dead Not as though I had already attained either was already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Iesus Our Saviour Christ that grand Exemplar Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Iesus the author and finisher of our Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the crosse despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God And also from good Reason for Qui uult finem nult media and è contra now God commands the means faith and the end of that is salvation 1 Pet. 1.9 Receiving the end of your Faith even the salvation of your soules He commands holinesse of life and the end of that is Eternall life Rom. 6.22 an happy end is a great provocation and encouragement to action and for this end God proposeth to us that most blessed and comfortable end The result is this That to act meerly propter mercedem for an hire is slavish and self-ish but to doe ex intuitu mercedis to look upon the Reward as an incitement and comfort is a most usefull help and so morally necessary to piety and devotion 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Col. 3.24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ 2 Tim. 4.8 Henceforth there is layd up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but unto them also that love his appearing The Second Part. 1. By Faith For Flesh and Blood would have perswaded Moses to a contrary choice to continuance and residence in Pharaohs Court and if he had consulted with worldly men concerning his Designe if they disliked his Person he would be censured and derided as weak and unpolitick if they had a kindnesse for him they would rebuke him as Peter did our Saviour upon a somwhat like account Be it far from thee Lord This shall not be unto thee Mat. 16.22 But Faith adviseth not with Flesh and Blood neither resolves with the men of this world No it adviseth with the Word of God and resolves with the Church of God and therefore that which the World so much admires and fancies the gallantry and splendor of a Princes Court the Title and Dignity of his Sonne and Favourite the Treasures of his Exchequer he did with great resignation and freedom relinquish and forsake And which is yet more that the World most dislikes and abhorrs poverty persecution ignominy slavery he did with much cheerfulnesse embrace for then he left the powerfull prevailing party and sided with an afflicted and despised people vexed and oppressed with arbitrary impositions and inhumane servitudes See what Faith can doe it can overcome the World it can count all things but losse to be found in Christ It is Faith and nothing but Faith that sets a just estimate and value of things not because currant but because worthy that distinguished betwixt truth and appearances substantiall and fantastick happinesses and so makes a Christiam esteem and adjudge the persecutions of an holy Church an higher preferment then the promotions of a tyrannicall Court that more then Heathenish Law of self-preservation is superseded by Christ Mat. 10.33 Whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven And ver 37.38.39 He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me and he that loveth Son or Daughter more then me is not worthy of me And he that taketh not his crosse and followeth after me is not worthy of me He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it and so abolished by that Law of Faith which he prescribed 2. By Faith because done in obedience to that Law and Rule of Faith which the Captain and High Priest of our profession had enacted and ordered The main difference betwixt that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 1.3 the Work of Faith which is the fincere observation of Christ precepts and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 2.15 the work of the Law written in our hearts which is the dictates of a naturall conscience and the common notions of humanity betwixt an act of Grace and that of Nature that the oue is done onely rationally the other obedientially the one is a faculty the other a duty that we performe as man a rationall creature made by God and so his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other as a Christian a devout sworn servant of Jesus Christ who hath brought into captivity every thought even the most rationall most excellent thought or suggestion of Nature to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor.
objects and led by customes that reasonable men should be in their duty rationall or from the assurance of reward and how dull men are to apprehend and beleeve future good things and to live by hope every one saying Let me have it in my hand and so make sure work is frequently experimented and so this very consideration is an abatement to the power of Precept But Examples makes all these respects and obligations good for if the command run thus Doe this not because it is commanded but because this is the practise of the wisest and the best or the most honourable they have done so before you and been very successefull in their doings what is thus exemplified and experimented is readily and faithfully observed and most confidently which is the quickning and forwarding of action expected Examples and experiments of this kind are many and frequent and indeed ' it s the chiefe end of all Historicall Relations and the Writing of the Lives of the Jewish Christian and Gentile Worthies For Mollissime suadetur exemplis though Examples be not argumentative cogent proofs to profound judgements and strict disputants yet to most men they are most effectuall because more fit to perswade And therefore Aristotle lib. 8. Top. cap. 2. thus resolves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Argument is more pressing proose an Example more obliging an Argument drawes the understanding an Example leads and faciliùs dueimur quam trahimur the affections that indeed more powerfull yet this more prevalent Themistocles saw Miltiades Trophces and this occular demonstration did prevaile with him for imitation above any either precept or reason but this one to follow so brave a President Achilles his same set Alexander on action and Alexanders Julius Casars and Casars honour hath made many thousand adventurers since And to come somwhat neerer and close to our holy Profession Hath not Christ upon this score set himself for an Example Hath not the Apostles proposed themselves subordinate Patternes under him and required us to look to the former times and take the Prophets Patriarkes c. for Presidents to us and our actions And hath not this very Apostle brought in and summed up a Cloud of Witnesses to confirme an infallible truth and to provoke imitation Nay Doth not the Christian Rule strictly require exemplary Piety in all Beleevers that they be not onely burning having Zeal in themselves but shining lights by their practise communicating and diffusing it to others give visible proofs of that hope is in them For thus runs the rule Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Mat. 5.16 And so 1 Peter 2.11.12 Dearely beleved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstaine from fleshly lusts which war against the soule Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speake against you as evill doers they may by your good works which they shall behold glorisie God in the day of visitation And here we may see and admire the infinite love and goodnesse of God towards man that he for a supply and succour to our frailties and prejudices seconds all his Precepts with Promises and impowers these by Examples and Experiments that whereas as our God and Lord he might use onely his Word of command and strictly and upon the severest penalty exact conformity yet he is pleased to consider that we are but Flesh and therefore not to make use of his absolute and Soveraigne Power over us but as an Indulgent to win and gain us over to himself by such Arts and Methods as have the greatest influence with weak infirme men great Promises and good Examples Promises to encourage Examples to leade even to leade if we will not drive If Power prevaile not goodnesse may Nay God in this Instance hath not onely so far condescended to our infirmities as to prove the reasonablenesse of his dictates to us to convince our understandings but he hath ex abundanti afforded Promises to whet and excite our wills and Patternes to guide and conduct our affections And here also we may see and admire the rare composition of the Book of God the holy Scriptures which not onely declares unto us the Will of God but furnisheth us with Arguments ad hominem strong perswasives to confirme thereto it abounds with perswasives of all sorts So that we may justly take up Tertullians Devout Contemplation and expression Adoro plenitudinem Scripturarum So we we adore the fulnesse of the Scriptures It s full of cleare Prophesies holy Praecepts gracious Promises glorious Examples It s full of Prophesies and they are full of truth these forewarne us to fly from evill to come Full of Praecepts and these full of Piety to exhort us to be fruitfull in good works Full of Promises and these full of mercy and sweetnesse to incline and move us to beleeve his Prophesies and obey his Precepts Full of rare Presidents and these full of Evidence to ascertain his Promises Prophesies to prepare Praecepts to command Promises to encourage and Examples to leade us the way to the way the truth and the life Prophesies shews us fully the infinite wisedome of our Lawgiver and that it is our wisedome to beleeve them and none else Praecepts declare his infinite Power and Soveraignty and that it is our duty to observe them Promises proposeth his infinite goodnesse in rewarding us for our duty and it is our Piety to hope for and depend on them our comfort that we have them and so good a God who will reward us far above our deserts Examples to evidence his infinite truth in performing his Word of Prophesie and Promise to them who performed their duty in obedience to his Praecepts and it is our glory and happinesse to partake of the benefit of these experiments by following exactly those good Examples Yet no Examples work so strongly and leave such deep and lasting impressions as the Examples of those whom nature teacheth us to love and honour to imitate and depend on our famous Progenitors from whom we have our extraction and discext and so as we esteem it an honour to be of a Noble Family either civilly or religionfly or both as the Jewes and these Hebrews took themselves to be and so their glory was We have Abraham to our Father and their Rule was Quod accidit Patribus siguum est Filiis so generally posterity strive to resemble their Parents in their qualifications and are ashamed to degenerate as if they had no affinity with them And hence it is that we take all disparagements of our ascendants so unkindly and every reproach of degeneration for the highest affront and indignity because we are so neerly concerned by a principle of selfe love in their honour and reputation Thus the Heathens as for example Priamus concludes from an unworthy Villany commiated by Pyrrhus that he was none of Achilles his Progeny At non ille satum qu◠it
Favourite and Agent Beza translates it Divinitus venustus which also is home enough and the rather because it fully accords with Philo's reports concerning them that they saw 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a greater beauty or Majesty of countenance then would belong to a private or ordinary Person and therefore that God had designed him for some High and Honourable employment some rare and extraordinary work and service Certainly there appears very often in the countenances of Men rayes and streames of Wisedom and Prudence of Authority and Majesty of quicknesse and clearnesse of Spirit of magnanimity and greatnesse of courage that as from such evidences we in our Vulgar account conclude them hopefull and promising so where all these as all these were in Moses and so notorious to his Parents are conspicuously shining in a most illustrious transcendent and divine manner there God hath as it were marked them out for Places and Offices of eminency renowne and dignity Yet if this relation of St. Steven may fall short of a convincing proofe to this assertion That Moses was to be the Deliverer of his Brethren and that God had discovered so to his Parents then Moses his own supposition Acts 7.25 will concludingly inferr it For from thence it is most clear That this was early revealed to Moses and that it was also sufficiently and convincingly declared to the Hebrews and Moses his Parents were such and so it was notified and remonstrated to them also and reason there is both in respect of their relation to Moses and their noble extraction to beleeve rather to them then to the generality of the Hebrews though the Scripture of the Old Testament be silent in it for otherwise how could Moses unlesse we will suppose what we may not that his supposition was groundlesse suppose that they would have understood it unlesse this future contingent had been presaged to them Or why should Moses reprove them that they did not understand unlesse it had been duty in them to understand and not to understand culpable and this it could not have been unlesse it had been proposed to them and every proposall of God is an object of Faith and the beleife of every such proposall an act of Faith And therefore from these premises it is evident That what Moses his Parents did they as it is here set down did by Faith 4. But how can this act of Faith be verified of Moses his Parents when the Record Exod. 2.3 ascribes it solely to his Mother Yes because the act of the one is deemed the act of the other however the silence of Moses in this particular cannot prejudge the Relation of St. Paul nor the bare reciting of it as the act of the Mother necessarily exclude the concurrence of the Father and probably both were the designers and though the first advice might be from the Mother as usually it is with them to be more eager and passionate yet his consent went along and though she appeared it being in such cases alwayes more safe for them then their Husbands and their acts more favoured and indulged then their Husbands who are not willing to be seen therein the onely active Instrument in Moses his concealment and managed it yet he also was in truth as free and willing as the Mother 5. But how can it be said they were not afraid c. when feare put them upon this contrivance and artifice and the noyse of the Inquisition forced them to this very hazardous attempt Yet their feare was not a feare of despaire but of care and caution not of distrust but of wisedom and prudence which made them wisely to foresee and warily to fore-cast the prevention of the danger and no way to retard or forbid duty What humanity and religion commanded they would adventure on and that as Pis observes Non obstante Edicto notwithstanding the severity of the Edict and would carefully and sollicitously prosecute it nothing could obstruct their endeavours for his preservation the enterprize shall goe on and in their confidence prosperously The contexture of the circumstances of that provision so ordered as if they wisely fore-saw both the danger and event for his safety seems to conclude the premises The rate composition of the Arke wherein he was concealed and exposed The situation of the Arke upon the Brinks of the River Nilus where Pharaohs Daughter used to Bathe her Attendants not farr off to walk and the Dames of the Court to Recreate themselves The Party to whom Moses was committed his Sister and her Instructions to attend him and observe the successe Thus as the three Children Dan. 3. feared not Nebuchadnezzars Decres for they would not bow notwithstanding the cruell and certain penalty for their recusancy so these feared not Pharaohs Order let him threaten and punish as he would they would be so naturall and religious as to discharge their duty towards their tender Infant But above all this they needed not to feare neither morally could they feare Pharaohs wrath for they did beleeve their affectionate and holy care and endeavours would prevent and stay arrest and stop the precepts and judgement of his Inferiour Court by a cessat executio an Injunction and Decree from the Supreme Lord and Judge of the whole Earth The Second Part. 1. Moses in his Infancy his first entrance into the World is exposed and left to the wide World after he had been a while concealed his Parents are put to hard shifts for his preservation either to hide him or leave him to all hazards And thus it happened to Christ himselfe immediately after his Birth there were Plots and Designes for his Life that his Parents were forced to fly for his safety and remove him into Egypt And thus also it fareth with the Church of Christ she hath no sooner Conceived and brought forth to the Birth but her Issue is set on by the Dragon to devoure it Rev. 12.4 and she with her Issue must fly into the Wildernesse for a hiding place to escape his fury Further yet this is the Portion of every Member of Christ he is no sooner Born again by the Water and the Spirit but the great Enemy of Mankind goes about to poyson and corrupt him The old Serpent persecutes the Seed of the Woman from the Cradle to the Grave from its Birth to its Buriall 2. But as God prepared a place in the Wildernesse to feed and nourish the Woman Revel 12.6 fore-warned Joseph of Herods plot against Christ Mat. 2.13 and provided for Moses a Tutor and Curator so he will not leave his Members devoted to him in the hands of the Destroyer but will with the temptation also make a way to escape 1 Cor. 10.13 3. If we with resignation wait Gods leisure in a Christian use of the means God will reward and prosper and blesse our Endeavours and Patience of Hope nor onely according but above and beyond our expectation Moses his carefull and tender Mother aymed no further