tooke Joshua and set him before Eleazar the Priest and the congregation and he laid his hands upon him and gave him a charge as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses After this the children of Israel warred against the Midianites and they slew the King of Midian and burnt their cities and their goodly castles and there Balaam was slaine they divided the spoyle of the Countrey And Moses growing old he called Joshuah unto him before the people giving him good counsell and bidding him to be valiant and encouraged the people and setteth forth a song of Gods mercies and vengeance After which the Lord spake unto Moses saying Get thee up into this mountain Abarim unto mount Nebo which is in the land of Moab that is over against Jericho and behold the land of Canaan which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession and dye in the mount whither thou goest up and be gathered unto thy people as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor and was gathered unto his people because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the wildernesse of Zin because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel yet thou shalt see the land but thou shalt not goe thither and after Moses had blessed the twelve Tribes of Israel he went up from the plaines of Moab unto the mountaine of Nebo and the Lord shewed him the land of promise which was promised to Abraham Isaac and Jacob so Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab according to the word of the Lord and he buryed him in a valley in the land of Moab over against Beth Peor but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day he was 120. yeares old when he died his eye was not dim nor his naturall force abated and the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plaines of Moab thirty dayes and there arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face In all the signes and wonders which the Lord sent him to doe in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh to all his servants and to all his land and in all that mighty hand and in all that great terrour which Moses shewed in the sight of Israel MEDITATIONS Upon some parts of the History of Moses O Lord direct my meditations and assist me humbly and truely to contemplate this thy great work of the deliverance of thy children of Israel out of Egypt by Moses after they had sojourned there foure hundred and thirty yeares after which time according to thy promise thou diddest deliver them and brought them to the land of promise This great deliverance O Lord is the true type of a great mercy that did follow which was by our Moses Jesus Christ who redeemed and brought us that were Gentiles and under the bondage and slavery of sinne to serve and follow him out of the darknesse wherein we were inthraled being far worse then the Egyptian yoke O Lord my God let it enter into my heart most humbly and seriously to consider of this inestimable mercy of my redemption and of thy wonderfull and unvaluable goodnesse towards me a sinner by sending into this Egypt of the world such a guide such a deliverer and such a Redeemer as all the Angels and powers in heaven doe adore even thy onely Sonne Let me be astonished O Lord with wonder at this thy so great mercy and be confounded in my selfe for offending thee so glorious and so gracious a God And let my sinfull soule be converted unto thee to serve thee with all humblenesse of heart O Lord how sutable in mischiefe were Pharaoh and Herod by giving way to Ambition and Jealousie and the reignes to commit cruelty to an unlimited height for the murdering of innocent Infants Pharaohs ambition was to destroy the Hebrew children amongst whom was Moses which thou O God preservedst to deliver the people of Israel out of Egypt and Herods designe to destroy the children in Jury amongst whom was that immaculate Lambe Christ Jesus even to destroy him who delivered the Gentiles and was after crucified to deliver and redeeme both Jew and Gentile O Lord how wonderfull are thy workes and all thy goodnesse for flesh and blood could not prevaile against thy providence for the cruelty of Pharaoh could not prevent thy goodnesse for thou diddest multiply and blesse thy children of Israel and preservedst Moses in a poore basket of bulrushes to doe thy great worke to deliver thy people out of the thraldome of Egypt And O wonder of wonders and mercy of mercies out of the manger at Bethlehem came our blessed Saviour who redeemed the world and how wonderfully O Lord hast thou preserved thy Church for whom he died and multiplied thy servants through the persecutions of this world As it was thy great mercy and blessing O Lord to preserve Noah and his family in that great Arke whereby mankind was preserved upon earth So it was thy mercy to preserve thy servant Moses in that little arke amongst the watery flags of danger to preserve and bring thy children of Israel descended from Noah out of Egypt to the land of promise from which stock so preserved came my Saviour Jesus Christ as these have beene thy mercies O God to preserve thy people of Israel by thy Prophet Moses the type of Christ and to redeeme the world by thy Sonne my Saviour Jesus So O Lord many have beene thy mercies unto me a sinner by thy manifold mercies and deliverances even since my infancie hitherto both by sea and land Good Lord in thy mercy take from over me this thick and mysty cloud of stupidity that so much darkens my understanding that I may discerne these thy mercies and feare love and serve thee with all the faculties of soule and body and good Lord grant that I may love my kinred and neighbours as Moses did love his Nation the Hebrews with kindnesse and affability to all men as he used to the daughters of Jethro Let the soule of thy servant know that in the places of peace quietnesse and retirednesse from the eye of this world so full of vanity and pleasures there art thou to be found for in the desart behinde the mountain and neare Horeb thou wast with Moses O Lord bring my soule from these worldly cares afflictions and temptations amongst which I live and lead me with thy saving grace toward thy holy mountaine with contemplations of holinesse and penitency for my sins and there let me rest in thee and be freed from the thorny and scorching passages of this world As thou O God didst wonderfully appeare unto Moses in the Bush by a flame of fire which did not burne nor consume it so I doe most humbly beseech thee enter into the heart of thy servant and enflame it with holy love and zeale towards thee and enlighten it O Lord that
it may discerne thy wonderfull goodnesse and that I may have alwayes such a burning desire to serve thee as no overflowings of the waters of this world may quench it let me with Moses put off my shooes of worldly thoughts cares and sinfull imaginations when I shall presume to come before thee for the place where thou art is holy and places consecrated unto thee and thy service in the assembly of Saints are not to be prophaned by any kinde of unholy actions for we must worship towards thy holy temple and enter into it with reverence for so O Lord thou didst command all thy people in all nations of the world Give me grace to obey thy good inspirations as Moses did obey thee by going unto Pharaoh Lord let thy wonderfull works that thou hast done and that I daily see strengthen my faith and confidence in thee and not to distrust thy power and goodnesse but that I may resolutely goe on to serve thee with a blessed perseverance untill my soule shall be delivered out of this Egyptian bondage be freed from the taskmasters of afflictions and the fleshpots of the pleasures of this world Moses was slow in speech and doubtfull of himselfe yet God did worke mightily by him By his example let us master our fleshly opinions and know that God hath his owne work and not to judge of the defects of other men And good Lord teach me to looke into my selfe for if I have received that which others want it is thy meere mercy and goodnesse and as I ought alwayes to be thankfull for thy gifts yet let me not be proud of them for as thy goodnesse gives them so thou canst take them away as thou pleasest for the foot of pride brings downe thy wrath upon us the chiefe of men and though Moses had that defect yet by thy power he did greater matters then either Absolon or Achitophel could bring to passe for thou makest our speaking and hearing and all our senses to serve thy commands and my Reâ—eemer made the dumbe to speake and the lame to walke as by thy great mercy thou hast delivered me from the Egyptian plagues which the hardnes of my heart hath deserved so prepare me I do most humbly beseech thee and make me ready to goe out of this Egypt of the world and to be obedient unto my Leaders and Governours Moses and Aaron in the midst of all perversenesse and perverse men whomsoever In the darknesse of this world enlighten me and as thou diddest send a distinct light to the children of Israel in Goshen so enlighten O Lord my inward soule with the light of thy blessed spirit to discerne thy wonderfull mercies towards me and grant that I may praise thee for thy goodnesse and obey thee as a man separate from all the world prepare me O God to be ready for my passage to the Celestiall Countrey of eternitie as the Israelites were with my loines girt in câ—aritie my shooes on in mortification and my staffe in confidence sprinkle the posts and lintles of my heart with the hysope of thy grace and the precious bloud of thy salvation that I may be knowne to be thine and be received into thy mercy when thou shalt come to visit me and to bring me through the Red Sea of that dangerous passage to the heavenly Canaan of eternitie Keepe me at that time O Lord from distrust and diffidence strengthen me in the narrow passage betweene the two wals of that dangerous water of presumption and despaire that I be not drowned with the Egyptians of this world whose trust is in their chariots and not in thee and whose hardnesse of heart and contempt of thee brought them to destruction O Lord be mercifull to my thirsty soule and preserve me from murmuring against thee thou which diedst upon the tree of the Crosse take all bitternesse from my soule and quench my thirst with the holy water of thy grace and grant that I may cheerefully goe on towards the land of promise Without thy continuall helpe how fraile and perverse are we as the rebellious Israelites ever murmuring and repining against Moses and Aaron send therefore that heavenly Manna unto me that may strengthen my soule and preserve it unto thee in faith and obedience Thou knowest my frailty O God and how feeble I am as likewise my unruly and unbridled conditions my stubbornes and hardnesse of heart therefore I doe most humbly beseech thee for thy mercy sake in Jesus Christ with thy miraculous and mercifull Rod of grace to strike upon my stony heart that from that rock may ascend unto mine eyes a fountaine of teares with such a true and perfect contrition as may come before thee and by thy mercy my sinnes may be washed away and that I may thirst no more after vanity O Lord how weake is the arme of the strongest man without thy help for Moses could not hold up his hand with the Rod without assistance from thee where Amalek fought with Israel but Aaron and Hur assisted him I do most humbly beseech thee in the fight that I have against the Amalek of sin and impiety give me thy Rod of grace and strengthen me and make me able to hold up my hands heart unto thee and in my weaknesse and distresse send me O Lord spirituall comforters which may assist and strengthen my faith that I may hold out untill the sunne of my age be set and obtain victory over all my spirituall enemies With what wonderfull feare diddest thou O Lord deliver thy holy Commandements unto Moses and with what reverence and feare did the children of Israel stand without the bounds of Mount Sinai and onely Moses Aaron Nadab Abihu and seventy Elders of Israel went into the mountaine who worshipped a far off onely Moses came neare the Lord. Good Lord make me to feare and tremble to break these thy holy commandements which thou diddest deliver with such circumstances of glory and terrour and with thy children of Israel let me keepe without the bounds of mount Sinai as thou appointedst them and out of all humane curiosity humbly waite to receive thy lawes from the hands of Moses and the Prophets and Ministers of thy Church Keepe rash presumption from the soule of thy servant for though Aaron Nadab and Abihu and the seventy Elders were good and holy men yet they kept their distance in their worship towards thee O God and at the writing of the Law So good Lord give me lowlinesse to stand before thee without the bounds of Sinai with such as are humble of heart and there worship and waite thy leisure for what thou shalt command me by Moses my spirituall guide by whom I must be directed for I must not be my owne director Without this continuall helpe of thine O Lord and by thy Ministers and Shepherds thou appointest over us how dangerously doth that Wolfe the devil assault and prevaile against this britle and corrupt flesh of ours
should not for ever most thankfully acknowledg thy many mercies deliverances unto me not only in my temporall preservations blessings but thou hast brought me into the field of thy plentifull goodness to the bottles of comfort and the sheaves of thy strength and saving grace shewing me all thy blessings to strengthen my confidence in thee and bought mee at a dearer rate then Boaz paid for Ruth Boaz comming into thâ— field amongst the reapers said to them the Lord be with you they answering the Lord blesse thee Admirable and exemplary was the goodnesse and plainenesse of the hearts of our Ancestors whose blessings was one upon another by such their good meanings the blessings of God being upon them What blessings froÌ„ time to time did God give unto the blessings which Abraham Isaac and Jacob gave to their children and people Lamentable is the condition we are grown unto in this our iron ungodly age whiles this blessing is accouÌ„ted superstition and common courtesie being even departed from amongst us Our very children having left off thet common duty and civility which formerly they used even with their milke learning to be surly sawcy and disobedient O Lord deliver mee from this bad custome that tends to such ungodliness from spirituall pride â—nd an over-weening opinion and conceit of my owne judgement But give me grace to follow the good and plaine paths of my fore-fathers in such things as concerns my obedience unto thee and my duty to my Parents Superiours with christian courtesie to be friendly humble and charitable to all men for thou promisest thy blessing and exaltation to the humble but confusion will fall upon the proud whom thou O Lord dost resist The love of Ruth to Naomi was great the comfort she received from her did exceed with her integrity in the doing of it being so sincere by leaving her countrey her parents and her deceased Husbands house And therefore as Boaz by his blessing prayer for her said the Lord recompence thy work and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings thou art come to trust So God the rewarder of the righteous and mercifull seeing her humility and goodness did hear the prayers of this righteous man by shewing such great mercie unto hâ—r the which did after follow even in a plentifull manner indeed for though by her first husband she had no Issue yet by Boaz she had Obed from whom descended the wel-spring of our happinesse and salvation Oh thy goodness O Lord whose bounds are without limit and whose workes and wayes are unsearchable thy rewards are the fulnes of happines thy mercie extends from generation to generation to such as love and fear thee Therefore O Lord mortifie all vaine wicked affections which are so inbred in mee by thy grace cast them out and place in stead thereof the strength of a lively faith and the fulnesse of love and charity that thereby I may forsake my selfe and all things that are dear and near unto mee and follow the good steps of the godly as Ruth did Naomi So that at last I may arrive to the happinesse and rest within the limits of thy true Church that pillar of truth and safety and there with an humble heart to serve thee as Ruth did by comming into Judah that once limited place of thy worship O â—he good plainness harmless simplicity of that golden age of the world when bread and water was their common viands parched corn the masters food as it was with Boaz an eminent man in his age for such was his fare and entertainment to a stranger when he reached some to Ruth yet then did God blesse them with comfort health and length of dayes O Lord deliver mee from the pampering of this my corrupt flesh with the voluptuous sensuality of these licentious times the bane of the soule by such luxury and the shortning of our dayes by such surfeits But give me such moderation as I may rather fast then feast and by which in this health of my soul I may the better serve thee here that thereby hereafter I may attaine unto that happinesse where the length of dayes both for soule and bodie is life everlasting O Lord make me studious to requite courtesies zealous to ballance the workes of charity piety as Naomi her zeal was for Ruth by wishing her to Boaz and give prosperity to all my good intentions with the blessing ef a thankfull heart for the successe of thy mecies unto me Grant O God that I may be faithfull and firm in my promise as Boaz was to Ruth true to my friend as he was to his kinsman and discreet in my actions as be was in his performance before the Elders Gods divine providence did mightily appeare by the marriage of these two righteous Boaz Ruth as his blessings upon them after made it manifest O happy Bethlehem to which place Ruth the mirrour of love and pitty with so much difficulty came unto led thither by the light of divine power and following the good steps of Naomi who there was made happy in her sonne Obed. O happy Bethlehem to which place that ever blessed virgin Mary came that most resplendent Vessell of blisse and happiness being led thither by the light of the holy Ghost and then comming upon devotions towards Jerusalem O thou blessed Bethlehem consecrated to our happiness for there was born a Saviour Ruth was happy in her son Obed but this Mary blessed amongst women by her sonne redemption and salvation came into us O Lord my God let the star of thy brightness appear unto me that with them lowly Shepheards I may come to this sacred Bethlehem and there find out that lamb of God that takes away the sinnes of the world more happy were them Kings who came to see thy holy face in the manger at Bethlehem by their humiliations and offerings this blessed sight of thee then in all their glistering loyalties vain-glory of this world Let me O Lord partake with these Kings in their devotions humiliations thou King of heaven Indue lead me with the starre of thy grace that I may come unto thee with the presents of perfect humility patience and perseverance in the pursuit of such things as shall be pleasing unto thee So after thine enlightning here by this light of thy holy countenance and favour unto me grant that at last I may attaine unto that everlasting light in heaven where from the manger and thy crucifying for our sinnes thou art exalted into glory everlasting THE HISTORY OF Hezekiah and the destruction of Ierusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in the reigne of Zedekiah IT came to passe in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah that Senacherib King of Assyria came into Judah and tooke all the strong holds and he sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto Hezekiah with a great Army then came forth unto him from the
Creation of Heaven and Earth and the life of ADAM IN the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth the Earth being a meere Chaos without forme and darkenesse was upon the deepe and the Spirit of God moved upon the waters And God commanded there should bee light and separated the light from darknesse which was day and night Then God commanded a Firmament which was made and called it Heaven After by his power hee made â—he herbs and trees to bud and beare fruit Then hee commanded to be made the two great Lights in the Firmament the Sunne and the Moone and it was so and there was Morning and Evening After God caused the waters to bring forth abundance of Creatures of all kinds with feathered Fowles Moreover he made the Earth to bring forth Creatures of his kind After these great workes God created Man even according to his owne Image to rule over the Earth and all these Creatures This wonderfull worke by Gods power was done in sixe dayes and God rested the seventh day and sanctified it The Lord made this Man of the dust of the ground and breathed in him life and then was he a living soule Then the Lord planting a Garden in Eden put therein the man whom he had thus created that place being planted with all sorts of trees of pleasure and for meat the tree of Life and the tree of Knowledge of good and evill being in the midst of that Garden And out of Eden went a river to water the Garden Then was the man put into the Garden by God to dresse and keep it giving him leave to eate of every tree only forbad him to eat of the Tree of Knowledge the which if he did he should die the death Then the Lord for his comfort formed of the Earth the Beasts of the field and the Fowles of Heaven and brought them to the man who named them But besides for Adam he created one of greater comfort and helpe for the Lord causing a heavy sleepe to fall upon him took out of his side one of his Ribs of which hee made Woman and brought her to Adam who called her Woman And they were both naked but were not ashamed Now in this Garden was a Serpent who was more crafty then any beast of the field who said to the Woman hath god said that yee shall not eate of every tree of the Garden Yes said the Woman of every tree but that in the middest of the Garden God hath commanded we should not touch it lest we dye Then the Serpent said to the Woman ye shall not die at all but God doth know that when you shall eat thereof your eyes shall be opened and yee shall be as Gods to know both good and evill So the Woman seeing the tree was good to eate pleasant to the eye and a tree to get knowledg took of the fruit thereof and gave likewise to her Husband then both their eyes were opened and finding themselves naked they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves breeches After this in the coole of the day hearing of the voyce of God they hidde themselves amongst the trees from his presence but the Lord called the man who answered I heard thy voyce in the Garden and was affraid being naked Then the Lord said unto him hast thou eaten of the tree I forbad thee And the man said the woman thou gavest me she gave it me and I did eate thereof Then said the Lord to the woman why hast thou done this who answered the Serpent did beguile me and I did eate And then the Lord said unto the Serpent because thou hast done this thou art accursed above all Cattell upon thy belly shalt thou goe and dust shalt thou eate all thy dayes I will also put enmity betweene thy seede and her seede shee shall break thine head and thou shalt bruise his heel And to the woman he said he would encrease her sorrows and that in sorrow should she bring â—orth her children and be subject to her Husband And to Adam for his disobedience he cursed the earth for his sake that thorns and thistles should it bring forth and that in sorrow hee should eate his meat all the dayes of his life and in the sweate of his face hee should eate his bread till he returned to the earth from wheÌ„ce hee was taken and as hee came from dust thither he should returne and Adam called his Wife Hevah The Lord made them coates of skins and cloathed them then the Lord sent him forth from the Garden of Eden least hee should eaâ—e likewise of the tree fo Life sending him to till the earth from wheÌ„ce he was taken And being so cast out at the East side of the Garden of Eden hee set the Cherubims with the blade of a sword to keepe them from the tree of Life After this Adam knew Hevah his Wife who conceived bare Cain who became a tiller of the ground and againe shee brought forth Abel who was after a keeper of sheep After this when hee was one hundred and thirty years old he begat another child calling him Seth and hee lived after that eight hundred yeares and begat sonnes and daughters So al the dayes of Adam were nine hundred and thirty yeares and then he dyed Meditations prayers upon the Creation and life of Adam O Thou incomprehensible God who wast from all beginning even before the Creation of this Heaven and this Earth and who for all Eternity wilt continue after the dissolution of this thy great workmanship the world which thou hast created O Lord I that am thy Creature and composed of this Earth by reason of sinne and ingratitude doe finde my selfe most deformed and ful of darknesse even as that Chaos the world it was before thou O Lord diddest looke upon it and give it light Now my God being in this depraved condition and sitting in this darknesse In thy mercy looke thou upon me enlighten my soule and create a new heart in me and let thy blessed Spirit move upon the waters and troublesome waves of my vast unbridled concupiscence vaine affections whose floods are uncessant in this deepe and darkesome Sea which is so full of danger to my distressed soule O thou fructifier of the Earth which by thy wonderful and unsearchable power and comfort to mankinde created the trees and herbs and by making them to bud and bring forth both blossomb and fruit in their due time Looke mercifully O Lord upon this lump of earth I am composed of and so refresh mee with the dew of thy grace as that timely me from this thy Plant growing from this earth there may spring out the tender buds of contrition the blossome of Charity and the fruit of good workes and piety And let the holy Sun-beames of thy goodnesse which thou hast set in the Firmament of thy mercy preserve me from the bitter cold and frosts of Afflictions the mildewes and
blastings of the temptations and vanities of this world which are so dangerous in the bud and blossome of my good purposes and resolutions towards thee O Lord as thy wonderful works in the Creation are far beyond the weake capacity and apprehension of mortall man to conceive yet by thy goodnesse some things thou makest us sensible of which are so visible to our mortall eyes and so admirable to our due consideration whereby we may so see thy such infinite power and providence for which to magnifie extoll and praise thee O thou God of omnipotency As in wonder thou diddest create thy Creatures abundantly both by Sea and Land so thy goodnesse did this great worke at a time of great mercie and providence to Adam whose Creation did next follow O Lord how abundant is thy goodnesse and thy wayes of mercy except our sins provoke and stop the current of thy blessings What creature is more miserable then man in his birth first breeding yet how wonderfully hast thou ordained and provided for him that though he came most feeble and crying into this miserable world no creature more unable to help himselfe yet thou O God by thy goodnesse even before his being hast thus provided thy creatures and comforts to him for his preservation O Lord how unsearchable are thy workes and how infinite was thy goodnesse in the Creation of our first Father of which substance I am let me with wonder admire â—e astonished that whiles I consider that being so made of the very dust of the Earth and yet to thy blessed Image O Lord most mighty O thou my only hope and comfort of my soule I want new words to expresse this thy boundlesse goodnesse for how doth this thy so high and divine mercy herein meet with my so deepe and earthly misery Therefore let me who am this dust fall downe in all humility before thee upon that Earth of which I am made And O Lord my maker whose Image I am let thy power strength look in pitty upon me and bring mee to the true knowledge of my selfe and thy goodnesse and grant that this thy holy countenance may so shine in me that therby I may be so enlightned by the splendor of thy grace as I may break from the danger and darksome corners of my owne blinde and corrupt conditions so derived unto me and so by seeing thy goodnesse and mercy with most ardent and burning zeal I may adore and magnifie thee my Creator O the unconceivable losse of that happinesse which was once in Paradise that just reward of disobedience and the dangerous â—â—endant of spirituall pride 〈…〉 knowledge the bane of 〈…〉 â—nhappy children of Adam 〈◊〉 â—eeth are set on edge by the forbidden fruit that he did eate we still pursuing to know more then is needefull or that we ought to doe the which even at this unhappy time â—s so like to destroy us and to throw us out of this our fooles paradise which we esteem of so much 〈…〉 pleasure the which indeed though it come farre short of the Paradise of happinesse in Eden yet by thy mercie O God to a sinfull Nation one of the best amongst the thistles and thorns of this our banishment from the happinesse we have lost O Lord open thou mine eyes that I may discern before the coole of the day and my latter end my great offence against thee not to esteeme it any safety for me to run from thee or by covering my secret or open sins with the fig-leaves of hypocrisie it being of such weake and deceitefull â—â—vert to thy All-seeing eye But oh thy mercy my Creator in the depth of thy so just judgements whereby wee were lost and by thy so great mercy whereby we were redeemed and preserved By one womans pride being seduced by the Serpent we suffered and by the humility of another being full of grace who was the Mother of our Redeemer that saved us the one by the Cherubin in thy wrath was kept out of that terrestriall Eden The other with a heavenly salvation brought us the blessed tidings of that happinesse in celestiall Paradise And thus by thy mercy diddest thou breake the head of the Serpent and saved us by that Messias the Saviour of the world This is hee that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God and the same was in the beginning with God and all things were made by it He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not He came to his owne and his owne received him not O unmeasurable mercie of thine O God thou pattern of perfect goodnesse from thy glorious seat of mercy in heaven thus to looke upon us the great map of earthly misery and objects of thy wrath As for our redemption to make this word flesh to dwel amongst us and to see the glory of it as the glory of the only begotten Sonne full of grace and truth Surely there is no mercie or comfort like this thy incomprehensible goodnesse O Lord thus to give thy selfe unto us This is even such a gift as may sufficiently astonish the Receiver Therefore O thou bountifull Benefactor give me grace even to forsake my selfe and give it unto thee Let me out-strip by a heavenly expedition those Shepheards and Kings who came first to offer unto thee the Angels theÌ„ rejoycing when this thy Word was made flesh and came amongst us Lead mee O Lord by that blessed star of thy grace to that manger of mercie Let no difficulties hinder mee in this my holy pilgrimage to the blessed Bethlehem where thou art And if these three Kings tooke such a long journey to see thee O god in that homely stable What difficulties should we undergoe to enjoy thy heavenly salvation Let me imitate these Shepheards Kings by their humility and offerings O Lord by offering even all that I have unto thee my heart in perfect humiliation with those Shepheards both heart and goods in charity to the poore and distressed inimitation of the humility and Presents of these three Kings That at last in the fulness of thy mercie being delivered out of this misery wherein I am fallen by the fall of Adam out of earthly Paradise And being thus redeemed by thee as these devout Shepheards and Kings did see thy face here upon earth in such humility grant that I may so follow thee here by such humble and harmlesse steps as hereafter I may enjoy the happy fight of thee in glory in the heavenly Paradise where the Saints and Angels doe rejoyce in thy presence even for ever and ever THE HISTORY of Cain and Abel CAin being a Tiller of ground brought an oblation of the fruit thereof unto the Lord and Abel did the like with the encrease of his Cattell and of the fatt of them unto the which the Lord had respect but unto the offering of Cain he
morning and sware one to another departing in peace and amity Now when Esau was forty yeares old hee took to wife Judeth a Hittite and Beshemath another Hittite likewise who were a griefe of minde to Isaac and Rebecka Now Isaac growing old and his sight failing of him he called for Esau his eldest sonne who came unto him to whom he said I am now old and know not the day of my death wherefore I pray thee take thy bow and goe into the field and kill mee some Venison and make me some savory meate and bring it me that I may blesse thee before I dye the which accordingly Esau went about to doe Now Rebecka hearing what Isaac had said after Esau was gone into the field she told Jacob what Isaac had said and pointed Esau to doe and how he intended to blesse him before his death So she commanded him saying goe to the flocke and from thence bring two Goat-kids to make pleasant meate for thy Father that hee may blesse thee then said Jacob to his Mother that his brother Esau was rough and himselfe smooth by which if his Father should feel he should seeme to mock him so should he bring a curse upon himselfe in stead of a blessing but shee said let the curse be upon me So he went and brought them to his Mother who made pleasant meat thereof such as Isaac loved then she put upon him furre cloath's of Esau's which were in the house and covered his hands and the smooth of his necke with the skins of the Kids and so putting the meat bread into his hands he comming to his Father said my Father who answered I am here who art thou my sonne and Jacob said I am Esau thy first borne I have done as thou bid'st mee arise I pray thee sit up and eate of my Venison that thy soul may blesse mee to whom Isaac said how hast thou found it so quickly my sonne who answered because the Lord thy God brought it to my hand Then said Isaac unto him come neare that I may feele thee my sonne whether thou be my sonne Esau or not then Jacob came near him who felt him and said the voyce is Jacob's but the hands Esau's wherefore he blessed him Then he again asked him if he were Esau who answered him hee was then hee called for the Venison to eate that he might blesse him the which was brought by Jacob who did eat as likewise he drank wine After which hee called Jacob unto him to kisse him who did so then he smelled the savour of his garment and blessed him saying the smell of my sonne is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed and when Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob hee departed from his Father After which Esau comming from hunting came to his Father who asking whom hee was told him it was Esau his first borne sonne whereat Isaac was struck with great feare then hee told Esau of what had been done and how hee had blessed his brother that brought meat unto him and that hee should be blessed then Esau hearing this cryed bitterly Then Isaac 〈…〉 behold I have made 〈◊〉 Lord and all his Brethren 〈◊〉 made his servants Also 〈◊〉 wheat wine have I furnished him and unto thee now 〈◊〉 what shall I doe Then 〈◊〉 said unto him hast thou 〈◊〉 blessing my father blesse 〈◊〉 me also my Father and 〈◊〉 lift up his voice and wept 〈◊〉 Isaac said unto him that 〈…〉 of the land should be his â—welling place and to have the 〈◊〉 of heaven from above and 〈◊〉 time hee should break off 〈◊〉 others yoak from off his 〈◊〉 After this Esau hated Jacob intended afterwards to kill him of which â—â—â—becka hearing did forewaâ—â— Jacob and wished him to flye 〈◊〉 Haran to her brother 〈◊〉 for safety untill Esau's 〈◊〉 was over After this Isaac called for Jaâ—â—◠〈◊〉 when he had blessed him gave him a châ—â—ge not to marry any of the daughters of Canaan but presently 〈◊〉 to the house of Bethuel his â—â—â—hers Father and take to 〈◊〉 of the daughters of Laban 〈◊〉 others brother and so after he had blessed him with a 〈…〉 blessing he sent him 〈…〉 Laban Many yeares after this Jacob came unto his â—ather Isaac who was at Mamre which is Hebron where in the hundred and fourescore yeare of his 〈◊〉 he gave up the Ghost and was gathered unto to his people his sons Esau and Jacob burying him PRAYERS upon the History of ISAAC O Lord in thy mercy direct assist and prepare for mee through the passages of this world and in all my journeyes as thou diddest for that faithfull servant and Steward of Abraham's Make me carefull discreet and honest in all my actions and deportments as this good Steward was unto Abraham in his undertakings So concerning my soule and that so certaine a passage to eternity prepare me O Lord and let my care therein transcend all thought of earthly cares in this journey which so nearely concernes eternall happinesse or woe Guide me in what I goe about grant O God that I may take nothing in hand but what may please thee and give unto me O Lord thy blessing in the prosecution with a thankefull heart unto thee for thy goodnesse with this good servant whose prayers and praises thou did'st heare Oh let me admire thy providence and power in this thy worke at the Well to this servant and by it let mee consider how mercifully and strangely thou bringst things to pass even amongst us though not so pointed out by thy holy immediate finger as this particular O bring mee to thy happy Wel-spring of thy happinesse O Lord the comfort of thy holy grace to refresh direct me even that which so farre exceeds all transitory consolations And if this Steward did so much pray for his Master and praise thee O God for thy goodnesse to him how ought I who am thy humble but most unworthy servant even to exceede him in many degrees both in my humiliation for my sins and thankesgiving for all thy manifold mercies for infinite have they been to me beyond desert and expectation Therefore open thou mine eyes which are so dull and raise up my heart which is so dead that the one may see thy goodnesse and the other may praise thee that this my heart may mourne for my sins my eyes may flow into a fountain of tears for my offences With this servant make mee to be carefull in what I shall undertake for others as he was who would eate no meate till hee had delivered his message so O Lord in things which concerne thy service Let me neither eate nor sleepe untill I have paid my vowes and devoted my selfe unto thee for to be continued confirmed in thy feare and favour is happinesse indeed for beyond all earthly hopes whose budd is barrennesse and fruit strife Give me this good Stewards care to be gone
and the cheerfulnesse of Rebecka to be going by the one to discharge the trust to my friend and by the other to gaine the love of my neighbour So O Lord in that which concerns thy service let me with resolution and alacrity come speedily vnto thee so shall not the Bethuel of self-love nor the Laban of worldly care hinder me from my due obedience service of thee Give mee grace in imitation of this Grand-fire of the holy Patriarks the pattern of obedience upon his Fathers Altar and in his constant serving of thee that with a contemplative heart and a penitent soule I may continually call unto thee both morning evening and at all times as he did in that evening he so happily met Rebecka so by thy mercie shall I obtaine thy heavenly Comfort as hee did in earthly respects by meeting of her and so be joyned unto thee for all Eternity Give me a tender care regard for the obsequies of my Parents and to joine in charity for the performance thereof though with my enemies and most jealous friends as it was done by Isaac and Ishmael to their father Abraham Grant me patience O Lord in the barrennesse of my dejected spirit give mee grace to persevere in my prayers unto thee as Isaac did in the barrenness of Rebecka so in due time thou wilt heare me as thou did'st Isaac and in thy good time shall I receive the fruit of thy consolation In the strivings between the flesh and the spirit as was in Rebecka's womb the which by reason of sin and my infirmities I am so subjected unto be mercifull unto me O God and grant that stil I may pray unto thee so by thy grace shall I bee delivered and know thy goodnesse and good pleasure as she did in her two twins And grant O Lord that the blessings of thy good grace may bear rule over this my rough and rude flesh to keepe it in subjection O Lord deliver and preserve me thy servant from the like hunger wearinesse in my soul as it was with Esau in his body that I may not endanger it for the lentill light vanities fading refreshments of fleshly desires thereby to lose my heavenly inheritance that blessed birth-right in heaven purchased for me by the birth and left me by the death of thou my blessed Saviour and Redeemer In much griefe of heart I must confesse O God with great shame and confusion to my self that I have done much evil in thy sight Esau was not more ready by that deare Bargain to eat those lentill potage than I have bin to swallow up sin offences against thee even for a lesse value my greedinesse to sin was such as even for a peice of bread have I finned against thee having been lead away by the meanest of temptations and therefore I have no other plea for my self but thy mercy O Lord and the merits of my blessed Saviour whose Sacrifice for sin upon the Crosse for us that were Gentiles was of far more effecacy then the blood of Buls or Goites were for the Israelites Deliver me O Lord from the power of my infirmities which still persues me to indanger my soule as it dealt with Isacc who fell into his father Abrahams error by calling his wife sister when he came to Gerer amongst the Philistims and give me the like Chastity and Charity as was in Abimeleck towards him and Rebekah Give me O Lord that increase of thy grace and mercy to sustaine my soule as thou diddest give unto Isacc in his corne to preserve his body and graunt that I may be that good ground mentioned in thy Gospel to bring forth the fruit of good works a hundred fold as it was in Isacc's graine Preserve me from the envy of the wicked anâ— from the suggestions to sin that the well-springs of thy grace may not be taken from me but raise up unto me the living well-spring of thy mercy that the stirrings of flesh and blood may have no power to take from me as the matteriall wells were taken from Isacc and bring me O Lord unto the spirituall Beersheba so appeare thou in mercy unto me there as knowing thy goodnes and believing thy promises I may build an Altar of praise and that thanksgiving unto thee In the passages of this world grant that I may alwayes preserve love and friendship both with my friends neighbours and even my enemies with firmnesse and integrity of heart as was between Isacc and Abimeleck And let me so obey my Parents in my courses carriages of this world that I may not prove a griefe of heart unto them as Easu was to Isacc and Rebekah by his marrying of Judeth the Hitite O Lord give me such obedience unto them as may cause and draw their blessings upon me both in their lives and at their deaths to be near unto them in duty obedience as Jacob was whome in mercy thou diddest looke upon and after gave such blessings unto by whose off-spring all the Nations of the world were made happy And still to continue obedient unto them as Jacob was unto his father in his marriage for this obedience to Parents is pleasing to thee O Lord and calls downe for thy blessings upon us the children of men let there alwayes continue in me a neare and pious regard for the interring of 〈◊〉 Parents with a conjunction of charity in the doing of it even with thy greatest emulaters as it was in the charitable performance of this solâ—mnetie between Jacob and Easu in the burying of Isacc their father So by this brotherly concord and charitable deportment wee shall be made partakers of that mercy thou O â—ord hast promised to them that doe the works of mercy to which happy to coâ—â—ition and the fruition of that haâ—pinesse bring me O Lord even 〈◊〉 his sake who was the true 〈◊〉 of patience amongst his enemieâ— and gave forgivenes even to his crucifiers THE HISTORY of JACOB AFter Isaac had blessed Jacob and in obedience to his Father and Mother departing from Beersheba taking his journey to Padan-Aram comming to a certaine place it being night hee took a stone and laying it under his head he fell asleepe and falling into a dreame there appeared unto him a ladder which reached from the earth to heaven Angels going up and down upon it and the Lord standing above it who said I am the Lord the God of Abraham and of Isaac thy Father the Land whereupon thou sleepest will I give unto thee and thy seede and they shall multiply exceedingly in them shall the families of the Earth be blessed and promising to preserve him in all his journeys and to bring him again to that Land Now Jacob awaking was affraid but did thinke the Lord was in that place saying to himselfe it was the house of God and that there was the gates of Heaven Then after hee had risen early in the morning he took that stone
unto me never to distrust thy mercies and deliverance And though things fall not according to my will and choise as it fell out with him about Rachels let me O 〈◊〉 with Jacob's other seven yeares â—â—tiently waite thy liesure and 〈◊〉 time So for thy heavenly mercies in 〈◊〉 drynesse and coldnesse of my resolâ—â—â—ons and devotions towards thee let mee with patience and prayer waite for that good time when thou shalt enlarge and deliver my soule from this thraldome and bondage of selfe-love and the snares of worldly slavery whereby I may be fitted for my journey to the heavenly Canaan there with joy to meete Isaac and all that rest in the happinesse to see thy presence O God Remove from mee all distrusts of thy promises and providence that common and dangerous rock whereupon this weake Vessell we saile in is so subject to fall upon by the crosse windes and troubled Seas of our unfaithfull constitutions for so it was with Rachel when in the bitterness of her anguish shee said to Jacob give me children or else I dye But O Lord so instruct my heart with such firme hope in thee as all doubts may depart from my weak and stupid sences and open thou the eyes of my understanding clearly to discerne how much thy mercy and goodnesse are unto me beyond my deservings and so by this pious patience I shall in thy good time enjoy the fruit of my hopes as Rachel after did by her issue in Joseph that happie sonne of so good a father the very comfort and preserver of the seed of Israel Good Lord let it enter into my heart to see with admiratioÌ„ wonder how thou diddest performe thy promises unto Abraham by this numerous generation of Jacob. After so many doubts by fleshly weakenesse barrennesse of constitutions and the great difficulties and dangers in the sâ—verall stations journeys perigrinatioÌ„s of Abraham and Isaac and the great opppession of the seed of Jacob in Aegypt and their long and dangerous perigrination to that land of promise how from them to come our Saviour O mercie beyond mans apprehension or deserving whereof they did only hope for and the which wee the sons of the bond-woman now see and so happily enjoy and by the enjoyment of which promise both the seed of Jacob and the Gentiles receive such an unvaluable blessing being such as all the hopes promises to Abraham Isaac and Jacob were but types and the tempoall plenty of the Patriarks in their land of milke and honey and all their deliverances were but shadowes in comparison of the fruits of this hope and the super-aboundant mercy of our redemption from sin and the fulnesse of heavenly grace bestowed upon us by this promised Messias in whom they in hope did rejoyce by whom they and we are made so happy in the enjoyment and fruition Oh the hidden treasure of happiness now so transparent glorious inlighten my soule O Lord that by this blessed enlightning I may see thy wonderfull mercy and my owne misery to put off all worldly love and vaine delight and make sale of all my earthly merchandise to purchase this jewell even the love of thee my Saviour farre more precious then that manna was to to the children of Israel for no earthly love is like in perfect happinesse to this of thine O thou Saviour of the world Good Lord let me continually obey blessed command and holy inspirations and as Jacob by thine appointment returned into Canaan and with expedition tooke his journey with his wives children family and goods So Lord let me breake from the love of this world wherein I am made a slave to sin and so subjected to uncertainties as Jacob was for twenty years with so many changes of his wages And let not the allurements and vain promises of this world detaine mee either for the enjoying the fading profits therein or to stay in the vanities thereof with such hopelesse and helplesse promises as Laban did intend to him But let me with resolution and sincerily follow thy good directions break from such things as may offend thee to the hurt of my soule Deliver me O Lord from the fears and jealousies so subject to the infirmities of flesh and blood from the danger of my enemies as thou did'st Jacob from his brother Esau let thy protection be with me and thy holy Angels to guard me And as Jacob sent his wives children servants and goods in order and came before him with such Presents and directions as might appease the fury of his brother Esau. So O Lord in my progres towards thee by a true faith and humble confidence give me a holy care prudence to send unto thee before-hand my heart and good intentions with my goods of piety and good workes that in mercy thou maist receive me so shall I escape thy judgements so justly due to me for my sins O Lord keep me from a wandring spirit and a loose condition so shall I avoid evill and all occasions of evill Let me not doe like Dinah who went a gadding to see the daughters of Shechem whereby she was entrap'd and brought to solly so shall I avoid sin to my selfe and the punishment of others as it befell to that unhappy Prince and Citie of Shechem And O Lord preserve mee from the like cruelty that was in Simeon and Levi whose revenge was implacable and transcendent being odious in the eyes of their Father and to all good people yet by this terrible judgement teach mee to know thy displeasure against sinne and leave such severe punishments to thy unsearchable judgements O thou my Creator Redeemer Preserver or wonderfull in my creation infinitely good in my redemption and most mercifull in my preservation the great strength guide and directer of Abraham Isaac Jacob in all their passages through the Desarts and Labyrinths of this crooked world which mercies of thine O Lord have beene most bountifully and mercifully extended unto me a most miserable sinner Therefore as they at all times and upon all occasions in their severall stations for thy mercies deliverances unto them did build Altars and offer Sacrifices of thankesgiving unto thee for thy goodnesse and Jacob according to his vow at the beginning of his perigrination where he set up that stone did now at his returne in that very place pay his vows even at Bethel with much solempnity and piety So O Lord let it enter into my heart duly to consider of thy great mercies unto me from time to time let me not cast them behind mee but call them to minde and as Jacob by finding thy mercies did not forget them when he came backe to Bethel but there did performe his duty and promise unto thee so let me alwayes remember thy deliverances unto me and how in my severall distresses I have so seen and found them as they having moved good thoughts and purposes in mee of better living good Lord let not
of them commanded the Midwives to kil the male children and to save the daughters that should be borne of the Israelites but the midwives feared God and would not doe his commands but excused it to the King And there was a man of the house of Levi that took to him a wife of his owne tribe who conceived and bare him a sonne being a goodly childe whom for fear she hid three moneths but when she could not longer hide him she made for him an arke of bulrushes daubing it with slime and pitch putting the childe therein and laid it amongst the flags by the rivers side And his sister stood a farre off to see what would become of the childe And Pharaohs daughter coming downe the river with her maides to wash her selfe found the arke and sent her maids to fetch it and opening of it found the childe who wept and she had compassion on him and said This is one of the Hebrews children and Pharaohs daughter commanded the sister that watcht the childe to call an Hebrew woman to nurse it and she went and called the childes mother and Pharaohs daughter said unto her Take this childe and nurse it for me and I will give thee thy wages and the woman tooke the childe and nursed it and the childe grew and she brought him to Pharaohs daughter who took him for her son and called his name Moses because she drew him out of the water Now after he grew to yeares when the Israelites had hard burthens upon them he went out amongst them and seeing an Egyptian strike an Hebrew one of his brethren who warily looking about him and seeing no body he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand And the second day going abroad he saw two Hebrews at strif and he said to him that had done the wrong Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow who answered Who made thee a Judge over us Intendest thou to kill me as thou didst the Egyptian then Moses was afraid and when Pharaoh heard of it he sought to kill Moses but he fled from Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian and there sitting downe by a well came seven daughters of the Midian Priest who drew water into troughs to water their fathers flock but there came other shepherds and drave them away But Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flockâ— who returning to their father he asked the reason they came so soone back and they told him that a certaine Egyptian had helped them and he commanded to call him to his house to eate bread who came and dwelt with him and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter to wife by whom he had a sonne called Gershom Now after this Pharaoh died and the children of Israel were exceedingly grieved by reason of their great bondage and they cryed unto the Lord who heard them and remembred his covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Now Moses keeping the flock of his father in law and leading them to the back side of the desert he came to Horeb the mountaine of God where appeared unto him an Angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush and Moses turned towards it to see why the bush was not burnt then God called unto him out of the middest of the bush and said Moses Moses draw not nigh hither put off thy shooes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground and told him I am the God of thy father the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Then Moses hid his face for he was afraid to looke upon God and God said unto him I have seene the afflictions of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters and told Moses that he would send him to Pharaoh and to bring his people of Israel out of Egypt and Moses said unto God Who am I that I should goe unto Pharaoh and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt and God told him he would be with him and that for a token thereof after he had brought them out of Egypt they should serve God upon that mountaine and Moses said unto God When I come unto the children of Israel how shall they beleeve me then said the Lord Say unto them I am hath sent me unto you But Moses answered and said Behold they will not beleeve me nor hearken unto my voyce and Moses having a Rod in his hand the Lord commanded him to cast it upon the ground and it became a serpent and Moses went from it And the Lord said unto him Put forth thy hand and take it by the taile the which he did and it became a Rod againe And the Lord said more to him Put thy hand into thy bosome the which he did and when he tooke it out his hand was leprous as snow and he said put thy hand into thy bosome againe the which he did and it became as it was before yet neverthelesse Moses was very scrupulous to goe Excusing himselfe that he wanted eloquence and was slow of tongue and the Lord said unto him Who hath made mans mouth who maketh the dumbe or deafe the seeing or the blind but I the Lord and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and then he appointed Aaron to joyne with him and to assist him in this great worke for the deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt And so Moses returned to Jethro his father in law to desire leave to go into Egypt to see his brethren who bid him goe in peace And Moses returned towards Egypt with his wife and children and the Rod in his hand with command from God to doe wonders before the King of Egypt And Aaron met Moses in the mount of God and kissed him Moses telling him all the words of the Lord who had sent him and all the signes he had commanded him And then they two gathered all the Elders of Israel together and did the signes in sight of all the people who beleeved them and worshipped God for his goodnesse After that they went to Pharaoh desiring they and the children of Israel might hold a Fast unto the Lord in the wildernesse But he would not obey the message and voice of the Lord. And they said againe The God of the Hebrews hath met with us let us go we pray thee three dayes journey into the Desert to sacrifice unto our God lest he lay his plagues upon us of pestilence and sword but Pharaohs heart was hardned and would not let them goe and added more to their work whereof they complained mightily to Pharaoh But he said Ye are now idle therefore ye say Let us goe and doe sacrifice to the Lord and the people murmured at Moses because their task was greater since his coming to them and Moses was much troubled thereat Then the Lord spake unto Moses and told him of all his promises unto
in Egypt foure hundred and thirty yeares But they went not the nearest way by the land of the Philistines but about through the wildernesse of the Red Sea And Moses took the bones of Joseph along with him and they came from Succoth in Ethem in the edge of the wildernesse and there encamped and the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud and by night in a pillar of fire And when King Pharaoh heard they were gone he made ready six hundred chosen Chariots all the Chariots of Egypt and Captains over them and a great army and the children of Israel coming neare the Red Sea the Egyptians overtooke them and they were afraid and cryed unto the Lord and did murmur against Moses exceedingly thinking it better to have staid in Egypt but Moses comforted them then the Lord commanded them to march and Moses to lift up his Rod and to stretch out his hand over the Sea and the Angel and the pillar of the Cloud which went before removed and stood behinde them and the Lord caused the Sea to go back by a strong East winde and it was dry land and the waters were divided and the children of Israel went into the middest of it upon the dry ground and the waters were as a wal on every side and the Egyptians followed them but by Gods will when they were in the middle of the water their Chariot wheels fell off in the morning when all Israel was over Moses stretched forth his hand and the waters closed up and Pharaoh and all his Army were drowned and when Israel saw this great worke they feared the Lord and beleeved him and his servant Moses and Moses and the children of Israel sang praises unto the Lord. After which Moses brought the children of Israel three dayes into the wildernesse and found no water and when they came to Marah the water was bitter and the people murmured against Moses and hee prayed unto the Lord and the Lord shewed him a tree the which he cast into the water and they were made sweet And then they came to Elim where were twelve wells of water and seventy Palme trees and there incamped from thence they came to the wildernesse of Sin which is betweene Elim and Sinai being the fifteenth day of the second moneth there the people of Israel did murmur at Moses and Aaron repenting they came from the flesh pots of Egypt then Moses and Aaron said unto them At even ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt and what are we that ye murmur thus against us And as Aaron was speaking to them they looking towards the wildernesse the glory of the Lord did appeare in the cloud and it came to passe that in the evening the Quailes came up and covered the Campe and in the morning the dew lay round about the host And after the dew was gone there lay a small round thing like the frost of the ground and they said one to another It is Manna And Moses said unto them This is the bread the Lord hath given you to eat gather thereof and he that gathered much had nothing over and he that gathered little had no want Moses commanded them to leave none untill the morning but some of them did not hearken to him but kept of it till morning and it bred wormes and stanke and this Manna was not to be found upon the seventh day It tasted like wafers made with hony And Moses spake unto Aaron to keep in a pot an Omer full of it therein and lay it before the Lord to be kept for their generations So Aaron laid it up before the Testimony to be kept the children of Israel did eat Manna fourty years untill they came to the borders of Canaan And the children of Israel journied from Sin and came to Rephidim and there was no water to drinke wherefore the people did chide with Moses and murmured against him And Moses cried unto the Lord saying What shall I doe with this people they be almost ready to stone me and the Lord commanded him to call the Elders of Israel and goe to the Rock in Horeb and smite the Rock and there shall come water out of it for the people to drink and Moses did so in the sight of the Elders of Israel Then Amalek came to fight with Israel and Moses bade Joshua goe and meet them with a chosen company and Joshua did so and fought with him and Moses stood upon an hill with Aaron and Hur and had his Rod in his hand and in the fight whiles he held up his hand the men of Israel prevailed but when he let it downe Amalek prevailed But Moses hands being heavy they took a stone and put it under him and he sate thereon and Aaron and Hur staid up his hands of each side and they were steady untill the going down of the Sunne and Joshua discomfited Amalek There Moses built an Altar and called it Joshua Nissi And Jethro father in law to Moses his wife with his two sonnes came unto Moses into the wildernesse where he encamped at the mount of God where they received one another with great love Moses telling him of all what God had done for Israel by delivering them from the hands of Pharaoh and Jethro sacrificed to the Lord and blessed the Lord God of Israel and Aaron came and all the Elders of Israel to eate bread with Jethro but Jethro seeing Moses sit in judgement amongst the people from morning to evening he perswaded Moses to take some helpers and not to weare himselfe out which counsell he followed onely when matters of great difficulty came to be heard Moses heard them and Jethro departed from Moses and went into his owne land After this the children of Israel removed and came to the desart of Sinai and encamped before the mount and Moses went up unto God who spake unto him and bad him tell the sonnes of Jacob what he had done for them and if they served him he would continue his mercies exceedingly unto them and Moses told the people what the Lord said and all the people answered together We will obey the Lord. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord then he commanded him to sanctifie the people unto the Lord and to be ready against the third day for then he would come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai but commanded bounds to be set about the mountaine that the people should not come upon the Mount nor touch the borders of it lest they be destroyed onely Moses and Aaron were to goe up and Moses sanctiâ—ied the people and bid them be ready the third day and that day in the morning was thundering and lightning and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people trembled And Moses brought forth the people to meet with
he did so And all the Elders of Israel followed him and he spake unto them saying Depart I pray you from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs lest ye be consumed And so they departed and stood in the doores of their Tents their wives and their children and Moses said Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to doe all those workes for I have not done them of my owne minde if these men die the common death of all men or if they be visited after the visitation of all men then the Lord hath not sent me but if the Lord make a new thing and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up with all that appertaine to them and they goe downe quicke into the pit then shall ye understand that these men have provoked the â—ord And it came to passe as he had made an end of speaking all these words that the ground clave asunder that was under them and swallowed them up their houses and their goods and the earth closed upon them and they perished from among the congregation and there came a fire out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense and as God commanded Eleazer the sonne of Aaron tooke the censers out of the fire and made of them broad plates to cover the Altar because they were formerly hallowed and to be a memoriall to all the children of Israel that no stranger which is not of the seed of Aaron come neare to offer incense before the Lord that he be not as Korah and as his company But on the morrow after this great judgement fell upon Korah the congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron saying They had killed the people of the Lord. And they being gathered together Moses and Aaron looked towards the Tabernacle and the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared And Moses and Aaron came before the Tabernacle of the congregation and the Lord spake unto Moses saying Get you up from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment and they fell upon their faces and Moses bade Aaron to take a Censer and put fire therein from of the Altar and put on incense and go quickly unto the congregation and make an attonement for them for that wrath was gone out from the Lord and the plague was begun and Aaron did as Moses commanded and ran into the middest of the congregation but the plague was begun among the people and then he put on incense and made an attonement for the people and stood betweene the dead and the living and the plague ceased Now they that died of the plague were foureteene thousand and seven hundred besides them that died about the matter of Korah and Aaron returned unto Moses to the doore of the Tabernacle and the plague stayed And the Lord commanded Moses to speake unto the children of Israel to bring twelve rods for every Tribe one and thereon to write their names and to write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi and to lay them up in the Tabernacle before the Testimony and the Lord said That the mans rod whom he shall chuse shall be the chiefe and shall blossome thereby to make the children of Israel cease from murmuring against Moses and Aaron and Moses did as the Lord commanded and every one of the Princes gave him a rod according to their fathers houses Aarons rod being amongst them and Moses laid the rods before the Lord in the Tabernacle of witnesse and going on the morrow into the Tabernacle the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded brought forth buds bloomed and yielded Almonds and Moses brought them forth and they tooke every man his rod but the Lord bade Moses to bring back Aarons rod before the Testimony to be kept for a token against the Rebels and take away their murmurings lest they die and Moses did so as God commanded and the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we dye we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying And the Lord commanded the Tribe of Levi to be joyned unto Aaron to minister unto him and onely that Aaron and his sonnes should minister before the Tabernacle of the witnesse and that the Levites should keepe the charge of the Tabernacle but they should not come nigh the vessels of the Sanctuary and the Altar lest Aaron and they should die and that no stranger should come near them and gave them many other Ordinances to observe Then came the children of Israel unto Zin and abode in Kadesh where Miriam died and was there buried and in that place was no water in so much as they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron and the people did chide with Moses and wished they had died with their brethren Then Moses and Aaron went from them unto the doore of the Tabernacle and fell upon their faces and the Lord bade Moses and Aaron take the Rod and assemble the people together and speake unto the Rock before them and it should give forth water and they gathered the congregation together before the Rock and Moses said unto them Heare now ye Rebels must we fetch you water out of this Rock Then Moses lift up his hand and with his Rod he smote the Rock twice and the water came out abundantly and the congregation dranke and their beasts also And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron Because ye beleeve me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them After this Moses sent messengers to Kadesh to the King of Edom letting him know of all their passages in Egypt and of the wonders that God had done desiring to passe through his Countrey onely to goe by the Kings high way and pay for what they tooke but the King of Edom refused it wherefore Israel turned another way and came to mouÌ„t Hor where the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron saying Aaron shall be gathered to hâ— people for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah take Aaron and his sonne Eleazar and bring them up unto mount Hor and Moses brought them up and as the Lord commanded Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them upon Eleazar his sonne and Aaron died there in the top of the mount and Moses and Eleazar came downe from thence and when the congregation of Israel saw that Aaron was dead even all the house of Israel mourned for him thirty dayes And they journied from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea and compassed the land of Edom but they were much discouraged because of the way and the people spake against God and Moses then the Lord sent fiery serpents amongst the people who bit them whereof many died
beyond Jordane but ye shall passe over before your brethren armed to helpe them until the Lord hath given your brethren rest as formerly he hath given you and they answered Joshua saying All that thou commandest us we will doe and obey thee as we have done Moses and whosoever shall not observe thy commands let him dye onely be thou valiant And Joshua sent out two men as Spies to view the land and they came unto Jericho and lodged in the house of Rahab the harlot which was told to the King of Jericho and he sent unto Rahab to bring forth the men but she hid them and answered they had been there but she knew not who they were And in the evening the King sent out Scouts to pursue them 〈◊〉 Rahab had hid them in the top of her house and covered them with the stalkes of flaxe after the Scouts were gone out she came unto the men and said unto them I know the Lord hath given you the land for terors are fallen upon us and the whole land are afraid of you for we have heard how the Lord dryed up the water of the red sea for you when you came out of Egypt and what you did to the two Kings of the Amorites Sihon and Og whom you vtterly destroyed and therefore your Lord is the true God of heaven therefore in regard of my kindnesse unto you shew kindnes unto my fathers house and give me a token to save alive my father and my mother and my brethren and sisters and all they have and they answered her giue ns safety and when the Lord gives vs this Land we will deale kindly and lovingly with thee and her house standing vpon the towne wall she let them down by a cord and bade them be gone to the mountaine and hide themselves three dayes vntill the scouts returne and then go their way they said vnto her that we may remember thy love and our promise when we come unto this place tye this scarlet cord thou letst us down withall vnto thy window and thou thy father thy mother brothers sisters and all they have shall be safe But if any goe out of thy house at that time let his bloud be vpon his owne head for all shall be safe within but if thou utter this to any we will be quit of our promise and oath and they departed and they did observe her counsell hiding themselves three dayes and after came to Joshua and told him the state of things and of the feare of the Inhabitants about Jericho And Joshua hastened and came to Jordan with the children of Israel and after three dayes the officers of the hoast commanded the people that when they see the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord remove the Priests and Levites bearing it they should remove and go after it and to keepe a distance from it to know the way they must goe and Joshua said unto the people sanctifie your selves for to morrow the â—ord will do wonders amongst you and Joshua spake vnto the Priests to take up the Arke and go before the people the which they did and the Lord said vnto Joshua this day will I begin to magnifie thee in the sight of Israel that they may know that as I was with Moses so will I be with thee Command the Preists that beare the Ark when they come to the brink of Iordan to stand still and he said to the children of Israel hereby ye shall know that the living God is amongst you to driue out the heathen before you behold the Arke of the Covenant even the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Iordan Then the people removed from their tents to passe over Iordan the Priests bearing the Ark of the covenant before them and when they dipped their feet in the river the water rose on a heap and the people passed over dry over against â—ericho and when all the people were over the Lord commanded Josua to take twelue men according to the tribes and command them to take out of the midst of Iordan where the Preists feet stood twelue stones and carry them ouer and leaue them where you shal lodge this night the which Joshua did accordingly and they brought theÌ„ upon their shoulders and left theÌ„ to be a sign to after ages that the water of Iordan was cut off before the Arke of the covenant of the Lord when it passed over and the Arke stayd in Jordan vntill the people were passed over and that Joshua had commanded twelve stones in the river of Jordan where the Priests had set their feet to be placed but the children of Reuben and Gad and halfe the tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the children of Israel unto the plaines of Jericho being about 40000. and the Priests that bare the Ark of the Covenant were come out of Jordan the water returned to his place and those stones which they tooke out of Jordan did Joshua pitch in Gilgal for a token unto their childrens children that they came on dry land over Jordan as he did the red sea that all the earth might know the power of God and feare him for ever And all the Kings of the Canaanites and the Amorites that dwelt thereabout when they heard of this wonderfull worke were astonished and their hearts failed them and the Lord commanded Joshua to make sharpe kniues to circumcise the Israelites the second time the which he did performe at the hill of foreskins now all the people that came first out of Egipt were circumcised but they that were borne by the way as they came out of Egipt them they had not circumcised vntill now and they continued in the campe untill they were whole and the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal and kept the Passeover in the evening in the plaines of Jericho and they did eate of the old corne of the land the morrow after the Passeover unleavened cakes and parched corne and the Manna ceased but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan And Joshua coming towards Jericho there stood a man over against him with his sword drawne in his hand and Joshua went unto him and said Art thou for us or for our enemies and he said Nay but as a Captaine of the hoste of the Lord am I now come and Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship saying unto him What saith my Lord unto his servant and the Captaine of the Lords hoste said unto Joshua Loose thy shooe from off thy foot for the place whereon thou standest is holy and Joshua did so Now Joshua straightly besieged Jericho so that none could goe out or come in and the Lord commanded Joshua with his army and 7. Priests to bear before the Ark 7. trumpets of Rams hornes and the seventh day to compasse the city 7. times and the Priests to blow the trumpets and the people to shout with a great shout and Joshua commanded them
altar Ed as a witnesse betweene the Lord and them and after that God gave rest unto Israel from their enemies round about And Joshua waxen old called for all Israel and for their Elders for their heads aâ—d for their Judges and told them of all things the Lord had done for them and what the Lord would doe if they served him counselling them to be valiant and couragious and to keepe the Law delivered by Moses and not to turne neither to the right hand nor to the left nor to leane to the gods of the heathens not to sweare by them or make mariages with them if they did so that they would be snares and traps unto them and thorns in their eyes untill they perished from off the good land the Lord had given them And he said I am going the way of all the earth and you know nothing hath failed you that the Lord promised you but if you transgresse the Covenant of the Lord your God and serve other gods and bow your selves to them then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and ye shall perish from the land And Joshua againe gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shichem and called for all the Elders of Israel and they presented themselves before God and Joshua told them of all the good things that the Lord had done to the children of Israel from Abraham Isaac and Jacob to that time And the people said they would serve no other gods then the God that brought them and their fathers out the land of Egypt from the house of bondage and which did those great things in their sight and preserved them in all their waies and after much perswasions of Joshua unto the people to serve the Lord he made a covenant with them that day and set them a Statute and an Ordinance in Shechem Joshua wrote it in the book of the law of God and took a great stone and set it up there under an oke that was by the Sanctuary of the Lord so Joshua let the people depart every man to his inheritaece and after he departed to his fathers being one hundred and ten yeares old and they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnah-Serah which is in mount Ephraim MEDITATIONS upon the History of Joshua O Lord thou art gracious unto thine Inheritance for though thou diddest take thy servant Moses to his fathers yet thou diddest not leave thy children of Israel destitute and without a Leader to goe before them but sent them Joshua thy servant to be their captaine and defender This is thy goodnesse O Lord still from time to time to be a preserver of thy people whom thou hast chosen and this mercy of thy speciall providence and love extended it selfe O God not onely to thy children of Israel but to thy holy Church militant here upon earth and likewise to us most miserable sinners by thy continuall providence over us How often O Lord hast thou delivered me the sonne of thy handmaide from time to time and raised me helpers and preservers I have found these thy mercies and let the due consideration of them enter into the closet of my heart and there rest by a blessed remembrance of them never to be forgotten and grant that I may humble my selfe before thee with all due thankfulnesse and obedience to serve thee and thou O God which continuedst thy mercy unto thy servant Joshuah and the children of Israel continue thy good mercies unto me direct and guide me over this Jordan of danger that I be not drowned in sinne and grant that I may rightly and truly follow my guides and the Arke of thy holy Covenant by an humble and true distance directly to follow their feete lest I fall into the crooked by-pathes of my owne inventions and as thy children of Israel after their deliverance over Jordan did shew their thankfulnesse by picking up stones at Gilgall so fix and pitch in my heart O Lord some Sacred monuments of praise and thankesgiving for my redemption from the deep waters of pride and mischief and circumcise thou my corrupted heart and so cleanse and purge me that I may be made fit to fight against sinne and Satan and the Jericho of this inconstant world and grant that I may keepe a holy passeover here in the plaines of my pilgrimage before I approach before the wals of Jericho to conquer the lusts and vanities thereof let my soule know O Lord that the Princes of darknesse will rise up against me to destroy my soule as the Canaâ—nites and the Amorites did rise against Joshua and therefore arme me with thy shield of faith and strengthen me with the helmet of salvation and as the Reubenites the Gadites and the halfe tribe of Manasseh did goe before the children of Israel towards Jericho so let thy blessed Angels O Lord goe before me in this my passage of life and danger of sinne and let the enemies of my soule be astonished and in feare as they were before the children of Israel and as thy holy Army O Lord did goe by thy command seven times about Jericho with such solemnities as thou didst appoint and by thy wonderfull mercy the wals of Jericho fell downe and the city was destroyed by fire so give me thy servant grace to obey thee as thou commandest thought it please not my sense and to imitate thy holy Prophet David to worship thee seven times a day and to obey and serve thee in those things and in that way as thou by thy holy word and the Church of Christ commands me though it seeme contrary to mine owne unruly fancy conceit and opinion that by thy mercy and my obedience the stony wals of my wilfulnesse and iniquity may fall downe in me and thy divine fire may consume all the drosse of my inward and sinfull soule and as Rahab the harlot though a sinfull woman was the instrument of safety to the spies sent by Joshua to view Jericho and by her was discovered the fears of that countrey and people which charity and hospitality of hers proved afterwards the saving of her selfe her kinred and all that she had so by this example let me know O Lord that thou canst worke good out of evil for the good of thy servants and them that go forward to serve thee in the obedience of thy commands And good Lord by this let me know and discerne the great reward thou preparest for them that doe the workes of charity and what a buckler and defence it is unto them in the time of danger when the judgement and strength of man is feeble for O Lord it is thy promise to reward the works of mercy furthermore good Lord keepe covetousnesse pride and dissembling from the soule of thy servant let not the Babylonish garment of pride take hold on me nor let me encline to the wedge of gold to infatuate my understanding thereby to draw me from my obedience to
sinne give mee grace to call timely unto thee yea to câ—me unto thee thou supream Judge of Israel even thou which dwelâ—est between the Cherubims and sits'â— under the Palm-tree thy blessed seate of mercie Look upon my distresse and deliver me from this sinne and that punishment that I so justly deserve for mine iniquity and deliver me from the powerfull enemy of my soul who seekes to corrupt destroy me either from the truth or power of thy word like Barak whose confidence was more in a fraile woman Deborah by her presence then in thy promises who art omnipotent Bring mee with the strength of thy grace to the holy mountaine of thy power and saving health strengthen my faith and confidence in thee to fight against this proud Sisera of sin my capitall enemie and send thy might from this thy holy mountaine of Tabor that by thy power graâ—â— I may be made able to overthrow and defeat all the disturbers of my soules health who lies so strongly in wait to destroy me with such worldly advantages by their River of Kishon Dissipate all the designes O Lord of all my spirituall enemies let them flie before thy wrath as Sisera did to the Tent of Jael and there let them perish in the snares of their own intended mischiefs to the innocent Retaine in mee a harmlesse and a pure conscience so shall I lie downe with safety and rest under thy happy protection with security to my soule and escape the like judgement that fâ—ll upon Sisera which is the reward of presumptuous and unrepentant sinners And for thy mercies let me praise thee in the innocency of a sincere soule for ever to serve and obey thee untill I shall be freed from this spirituall warfare here and be made happy to rejoyce with thee in that happinesse and bliss of eternity hereafter And let me magnifie thy Name with Deborah and Barak saying with them Praise yee the Lord for the avenging of Israel heare O ye Kings give eare O ye Princes I even I will sing unto the Lord I will sing praise unto the Lord God of Israel The mountaines melted from before the Lord even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel My heart is towards the Governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people blesse ye the Lord. Awake awake Deborah awake awake utter a song Arise Barak and lead thy Captivity captive thou son of Abinoam The river of KishoÌ„ swept them way that ancient River that River of Kishon O my soule thou hast trodden down strength So let all thine enemies perish O Lord but let them that love him be as the Sun when he goeth forth in his might THE HISTORY OF RUTH IN the time that the Judges ruled in Israel there was a Dearth in the Land upon which Elimelech of Bethlehem Judah went to sojourn in the Countrie of Moah with his Wife Naomi with their two sonnes where continuing a while Elimelech died and she remained with her sonnes who tooke them Wives of the Moabites the one was named Orpah the other Ruth who lived thereabout ten yeares where both these sonnes died after whose death Naomi hearing the Lord had given them bread in her owne Countrie thither shee returned with her two Daughters in Law into the Land of Judah then Naomi perswaded these her two Daughters in Law to return to their own Motherâ— houses desiring the Lord would shew the like favour 〈◊〉 them as they had done to the Dead and to her wishing them comfort in the house of their husbands and when shee had kissed them they wept But they desired still to continue with her to whom shee answered turne again my daughters for I shall have no more sonnes to be your husbands and pleaded much with them to return so Orpâ—â— departed but Ruth staied with her but still Naomi perswaded Ruth to goe but Ruth told her whither she did goe she would goe and where she dwelt she would dwell saying moreover thy people shall be my people and thy God my God where thou diest I will die and there will I be buried the Lord doe so to me and more also if ought but death part thee and me So when Naomiâ—aw â—aw her love steadfastnesse she brought her along with her to Bethlehem and it was in the beginning of Barly Harvest where Naomies deceased husband had a Kinsman of great power whose name was Boaz. Now Ruth desired her Mother in Law that she might goe with others to gleane who giving of her leave she went and gleaned after the Reapers and it happened to be in the field of Boaz who coming from Bethlehem he said to the Reapers the Lord be with you and they bad the Lord blesse him and hee seeing Ruth he asked the servant that oversee the reapers who she was who told him she was the Moabitish Maide that came with Naomi and how shee desired to gleane there Then said Boaz unto Ruth my daughter goe not into any other field but abide by my Maides go after them I have charged the servants that they touch thee not when thou 〈◊〉 thirst drink such as the servants have then she fell on her face and bowed to the ground and said unto him how have I found favour in thine eyes that thou shouldest know me seeing I am a stranger But hee told heâ— he heard what shee was and what she had done for her Mother in Law having left her Father Mother and her Countrie to come amongst strangers so the Lord recompence thy worke and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings thou art come to trust then she said let me finde favour in thy fight my Lord for thou hast comforted me Then Boaz bad her come at meal-times to eate bread and so shee sat by the Reapers and hee reached her parched Corne and she did eate and he commanded she should gleane amongst the sheaves and so returning in the Evening with plenty to her Mother in Law shee asked her with whome she did gleane who told her it was in the Field of Boaz then said Naomi blessed be the Lord for hee ceaseth not to doe good to the living and to the dead telling Ruth hee was of her husbaÌ„ds kindred did wish her not to gleane in any other place but with the Maides of Boaz. Now Naomi did love Ruth exceedingly she finding her goodnesse and constancy and said unto her shall not I seek rest for thee my Daughter that thou maiest prosper saying is not Boaz out Kinsman and this night hee winnoeth Barly wash and anoint thy selfe and put on thy Raiment and get thee down thither let him not know of thee untill hee have left eating and drinking and when he shall sleep mark where he lyeth downe and uncover the place of his feete lie thee down and hee shall tell thee what thou shalt doe And Ruth did according to her directions Now when Boaz