thereon shall tread Their way is right that righteous are Whose path thou well dost heed Vpon thy Course of iudgements wee Oh LORD attending were And to record thy Name and Thee Our soules desirous are On thee my minde with strong desires Is fixed in the night And after thee my heart enquires Before the morning light For when thy righteous Iudgements are Vpon the earth discern'd By those that doe inhabite there Vprighnesse should be learn'd Yet sinners for no terror will Iust dealing vnderstand But they continue doing ill Eu'n in the righteous land Vnto the glory of the LORD They will not heedfull be Thy hand aduanc't on high oh LORD They will not daigne to see But they shall see and see with shame That doe thy people spight Yea from thy foes shall rise a flame That will deuoure them quite Then LORD for vs thou wilt procure That wee in peace may be Because that eu'ry worke of our Is wrought for vs by thee And LORD our God though we are brought To other Lords in thrall Of thee alone shall be our thought Vpon thy name to call They are deceast and neuer shall A farther life obtaine They die and shall not rise at all To tyrannize againe For to that end thou visited And wide dispers't them hast Vntill their fame was perished And vtterly defac'st But LORD encrea'st thy people are Encrea'st they are by thee And thou art glorified as farre As any lands there be For LORD in their distresses when Thy chast'ning on them lay They vnto thee did hasten then And without ceasing pray As she with Childe is pain'd when as Her throwes of bearing be And cryes in pangs before thy face Oh LORD so fared We. We haue conceiu'd beene pain'd and all Was for a windie birth The world no safetie yeeld's nor fall The dwellers of the earth Thy dead shall liue they rise againe With my dead body shall Oh you that in the dust remaine Awake and sing you all For as the dewe doth hearbs renewe That buried seem'd before So earth shall through thy heau'nly dewe Her dead aliue restore My people to thy Chambers fare Shut close the dore to thee And stay a while a moment there Till past the furie be For loe the LORD doth now arise He commeth from his place To punish their impieties Who doe the world possesse And now the earth no longer shall The blouds in her conceale But shee shall be compelled all Her murthers to reueale THE Prayer of HEZEKIAH Esay 37.15 The Argument and the Vse IT is recorded in the 36. and 37. of Esay that Senacharib King of Asiria sent an army against Ierusalem and that Rabshakah his principall commander not onely threatned to take it but blasphemed also against the power of God Which when Hezekiah receiued notice of it is said he repaired vnto the house of the LORD and made this Prayer there Wherein hauing by the attributes there giuen him acknowledged how able God was to be auenged he desires the LORD both to heare him and to consider the blasphemy of his aduersarie Then to manifest the necessitie of assistance He vrgeth the power of that foe ouer those that serued not the true God And as it seemes desireth deliuerance not so much in regard of his owne safetie as that the blasphemer and all the world may know the difference betweene the power of the LORD and the arrogant braggs of Man This Prayer may be vsed by the Church whensoeuer her powerfull and open aduersarie the Turke or any other Aduersarie whom God hath suffered to preuaile against false worshippers shall thereupon growe proud and threaten Her also as if in despight of God he had formerly preuailed by his owne strength And the name of Senacharib may be mistically applied to any such enemy Moreouer it may serue any of vs Christians for a prayer against those secret blasphemies which the Deuill whispers vnto our soules Or when by temptations he seekes to make vs dispaire and threatens to be our ruine maugre our Redeemer laying before our eyes how many others he hath destroyed who seemed to be in as good estate as we For this is indeed the Enemie who hath ouerthrowne whole Countries and Nations and he doth at this day ruine many thousands with their gods euen the meanes whereby they trusted to be safe for strength temporall power riches superstitious worships the wisedome of flesh and bloud vnsanctified Moral vertues worldly policie Idols such like wherein many put their trust are the works of mens hands and may he rightly termed the gods which that misticall Asirian Prince and our aduersarie hath power to destroy The Song And Hezâ—kiah prayed vnto the LORD saying O Lord of hoasts and God of Isra-el Thou who betweene the Cherubins dost dwell Of all the world thou God alone art King And heau'n and earth vnto their forme did'st bring Lord bow thine eare to heare attentiue be Lift vp thine eyes and daigne oh LORD to see What words Senacharib hath cast abroad And his proud message to the liuing God Truth LORD it is that lands and kingdomes all Haue to the Kings of Ashur beene a thrall Yea they their Gods into the fire haue throwne For Gods they were not but of wood and stone Mens work they were men therfore spoil'd them haue Then from his power vs LORD our God now saue That all the kingdomes of the earth may see Thou art the LORD and onely thou art hee Hezekiahs song of Thanksgiuing Esay 38.10 The Argument and Vse WE finde this Song in the 38. Chapter of Esay where is set before it this Title The writing of Hezekiah King of Iuda when he had beene sicke and was recouered of his sicknesse By which you may perceiue the occasion of it And if you consider the Song it selfe many particular circumstances are remarkable whereby the Author sheweth Gods mercy to haue beene exceeding great vnto him First in respect that he should else haue beene cut off in the best of his Age and perhaps when his sinnes might haue made him ripe aswell for hell as the graue Secondly in regard he should neuer haue seene againe the Temple of the Lord to praise him there with the rest of his people Thirdly if he had beene then taken away His dwelling that is his posteritie had beene cut off for at that time he had no children and so he had not lost his life onely but the hope of the Messias his Redeemer Fourthly his disease was so violent and vnsufferable that he thought not to haue liued out one day Fiftly God deliuered him when he was not tormented in body onely but when he suffered also extreame agonies of the Soule Lastly the greatnesse of Gods mercy is here praised in that when be deliuered him from the terrors of death he forgaue him also his sinnes which were the cause of that sickenesse Then seeming to haue entered into a serious consideration of all this He confesseth who they are
of Isr'ell prayse LORD when thou wentst from Seir When thou lef'st Edom field Earth shooke and heauen dropped there The Clouds did water yeeld LORD at thy sight a trembling fright Vpon the Mountaines fell And at thy looke Mount Sinai shooke LORD God of Jsrael Erewhile in Shamghar's dayes Old Anah's valiant sonne And late in Jaels time the wayes Frequented were of none The passengers were wanderers In crooked pathes vnknowne And none durst dwell through Jsrael But in a walled towne Vntill I Deborah ' rose I rose a mother here In Jsr'el when new Gods they chose That fil'd their gates with warre And they had there nor shield nor speare In their possession then To arme for fight one Israelite 'Mong forty thousand men My hearts affection set On Israels Leaders is Who with the willing people met Oh praise the LORD for this Sing all of yee who vsed be To ride on Asses gray All you that yet in Middin siâ— Or trauaile by the way Where they their water drew Those places being cleare From noyse of Archers Let them shew The LORD's vprightnes there Through Jsrael all the hamlets shall His righteousnesse record And downe vnto the gates shall goe The people of the LORD Rise Deborah arise Rise rise and sing a song Abinoams sonne oh Barak rise Thy Captiues lead along By him made thrall their Princes all To the Suruiuer be To triumph on the mightie one The LORD vouchsafed me A root from Ephraim Gainst Amaleck arose And of the people next to him The Beniamites were those From Machir where good leaders are Came well experienc't men And they came downe from Zabulon That handle well the penne With Deborah did goe The Lords of Isachar Eu'n Isachar and Barak to Was one among them there Who forth was sent and downe he went On foote the lower way In Ruben there diuisions were Great thoughts of heart had they The bleating flockes to heare Oh wherefore didst thou stay In Ruben there diuisions were Great thoughts of heart had they And why did they of Gilead stay On Iordan's other side Or what was than the reason Dan Did in his Tents abide Among his harbours nigh The sea there Asher lay But Zabulon nor Nepthali Did keepe themselues away These people are who fearelesse dare Their liues to death expose And would not yeeld the hilly-field Yet Kings did them oppose The Cananitish Kings At Tana'ch fought that day Close by Megiddoes water-springs Yet bore no prize away The Starres from out the heauens fought Gainst Sisera they stroue They in their course and some with force Away brocke Kishon droue Old Kishon that was long A famous Torrent knowne Oh thou my soule oh thou the strong Hast brauely trodden downe Their horses by their prauncing high Their broken hoofes did wound Those of the strong that kickt and flung And fiercely beat the ground A curse on Meroz lay Curst let her dwellers be The Angell of the LORD doth say Extreamely curse it yee The cause of this accursing is They came not to the fight To helpe the LORD to help the LORD Against the men of might But Iael Hebers Spouse The Kenite blest be she More then all women more then those That vse in Tents to be To him doth she giue milke when he Doth but for water wish She butterfets and forth it sets Vpon a Lordly dish Her left hand reacht a Nayle A workmans hammer streight Her right hand takes and therewithall She Sisera doth smite His head she tooke when she had strooke His pierced temples through He fell withall and in the fall Hee at her feete did bow He at her feete did bow Whom falling life forsooke And Sisera his mother now Doth from her window looke Thus cries she at the lattice grate Why staies his Charr'ot so Returning home oh wherefore come His Charr'ot wheeles so slowe There-with her Ladies wise To her an answere gaue Yea to her selfe her selfe replies Sure sped saith she they haue And all this while they part the spoile A damzell one or twaie Each homeward beares and Sisera shares A particolour'd pray A pray discolour'd trimme And wrought with paintings rare Wrought through and for the necke of him That taketh spoiles to weare So LORD still so thy foes ore'throw But who in thee delight Oh let them be Sunne-like when he Ascendeth in his might THE Song of HANNAH 1 Samuel 2. The Argument and Vse HAnnah the wife of Elkanah being barren and therefore vpbraided and vexed by Peninnah her Husbands other wife prayeth vnto the LORD for a Sonne And hauing obtained him as you may read in 1 Sam. and the second chapter praiseth God in this Song for being so gratious vnto her And therein diuers things are obseruable First she reioyceth in God her Sauiour for strengthning her and giuing her the vpper hand of her Aduersary Secondly she declareth the holinesse the singularitie and the vnequal'd power of God at a reason why her enemie should be no more so arrogant Thirdly she proceeds to shew how vaine her aduersaries presumption must needs be by further demonstrating her Redeemers knowledge his strength with the certaintie of his decrees and by declaring in some particulars the workes of his Mercy and Justice Fourthly she foretelleth the confusion of sinners the weakenesse of humane â—ssiâ—tance the destruction of those that resist God and the glorious exaltation of him whose aduancement the LORD hath decreed The Song euery good Christian may sing in a literall sence with respect to his owne afflictions and the goodnesse of God whensoeuer by reason of his pouerty or any oppression the vncharitable proud and malitious worldling shall insult ouer him If so be he finde himselfe either outwardly deliuered or inwardly comforted by the spirit of God But thâ— Hymne doth most properly appertaine to the whole Congregation to be sung in the person of the Church And we shall much iniure the meaning of the holy-spirit if we imagine that in this Song of the holy Prophetesse there is no other cause of it considerable then the vnkindnesse betweene her and Peninnah and the Joy she receiued by the birth of Samuel We must then know that Annah which signifieth Grace or Gracious was a type of the Church ef Christ and that Peninnah which is interpreted Forsaken or Despised was a figure of the Iewish Synagogue Seeing without this knowledge we loose the principall consolations which the Song affordeth vs. For when Annah had obtained her sonne of God and entred into consideration of those particulars which had befallen her She did by contemplating them not onely foresee what other things should come to passe concerning her Sonne the Common-wealth of the Iewes and her owne Family but being further enlightned prophecied also of the Kingdome of Christ By contemplating how Peninnah had triumphed on her barrennesse she foresaw hâ—w the Sinagogue of the Iewes should boast her selfe against the Gentiles in their first conuersion By her comfort in the birth of Samuel
meane Iuda and Ierusalem but euery congregation of Christians also who bearing the face of a visible Church haue heretofore abused or shall hereafter neglect the grace of God As we may assure our selues by the destruction of Antioch Laodicea Ephesus and many other particular Churches who hauing after God had a long time manured them by the husbandry of his Apostles and other ministers in stead of the sweet Clusters of pure doctrine and good life brought forth the sower grapes of heresies and vncleannesse Were depriued of their defence and had both the dewes of Gods spirit and the showers of his word with-held from them till they brought forth nothing but thornes and bryars the fruits of their owne naturall corruption The Song A Song of him whom I loue best And of his vineyard sing I will A vineyard once my loue possest Well seated on a fruitfull hill He kept iâ— close immured still The earth from stones he did refine Anâ— set it with the choi-sest vine He in the mid'st a Fort did reare A Wine-presse therein also wrought But when he look't iâ— grapes should beare Those grapes were wilde one that it brought Ierusalem come speake thy thought And you of Iudah Iudges be Betwixt my vineyard here and me Vnto my Vineyard what could more Performed be then I haue done Yet looking it should grapes haue bore Saue wilde ones it afforded none But goe to let that now alone I am resolu'd to shew you to What with my Vineyard I will doe The hedge I will remoue from thence That what so will deuoure it may I will breake downe the walled fence And through it make a trodden way Yea all of it I waste will lay None shall to digge or dresse it care But thornes and bryars it shall beare The Clouds I also will compell That there no raine descend for this For loe the house oâ— Israel The LORD of Armies vineyard is And Iudah is that plant of his That pleasant one who forth hath brought Oppression when he iudgement sought He Iustice sought but found therein In stead thereof a crying sinne THE Second Song of ESAY Esay 12. The Argument and Vse THe Prophet Esay being extraordinarily enlightned with foresight of the misteries of our Redemption and hauing in the eleauenth Chapter of this Prophecie foretold many things concerning the incarnation of Christ and the excellency of his Kingdome doth in his next Chapter fore-shew the Church what Song she shall sing in that day And it is this which here followeth Wherein are these particular actions of the Church obseruable First that she doth perceiue and to the praise of her Redeemer acknowledge that although God had formerly afflicted her for sinnes yet now he turnes his wrath into consolation Secondly that without feare she vnderstands and confesseth to others how God is assuredly become her strength and saluation Thirdly she exhorteth all to come and draw the spirituall waters of life from their owne Fountaines Lastly vpon consideration of Christs extraordinary workes and miracles she earnestly stirreth vp her selfe and others ioyfully to sing the praises of him her Lord and Sauiour This Song euery Childe of God ought often to râ—peate to the honour of Iesus Christ for his gratious redemption of mankinde And seeing the holy Prophet foreknowing the good cause she should haue to make vse thereof hath prophecied that this should be the Churches Hymne after the manifestation of our Sauiour in the flesh Doubtlesse it would be very properly vsed vpon those dayes which we solemnize in memory of our Sauiours Natiuitie and Epiphany and vpon all such other occasions as the Congregation may haue to giue thankes for that great worke of our Redemption The Song LOrd I will sing to thee For angry though thou wast Yet thou with-drewst thy wrath from me And sent me comfort hast Loe God 's my health on whom I fearelesse trust will â—ay For oh the LORD the LORD 's become My strength my Song my stay And you with Ioy for this Shall water fetch away Out of those wels where safetie is And thus then shall you say Oh sing vnto the LORD His Name and works proclaime Vnto the people beare record That glorious is his Name Vnto the LORD oh sing For wonders he hath done Yea many a renowned thing Which through the earth is knowne Sing forth aloud all yee That doe in Sion dwell For loe thy holy-One in thee Is great oh Israel THE Third Song of ESAY Esay 26. The Argument and Vse THe Prophet Esay before the people of Israel were led into Captiuity composed this Song thereby to comfort them that they might with the more patience beare out their affliction and become confident in the promised mercies of God First it informeth them that the protection of God being wheresoeuer they are nothing lesse auaileable then a defenced Cittie they ought for euer to trust in that firme peace which they may haue in him Secondly this Song teacheth them to confesse that the pride of Sinners must be punished how the true Church of Godwil constantly await his pleasure amid those iudgements and in their chastening flye vnto their Redeemer Thirdly seeing the wicked are so euilly disposed that they will neither repent for fauour nor punishment their confusion is here prophecied and the peace of the godly promised who are resolued not to forsake the seruice of their Lord for any persecution Fourthly they sing the vtter desolation of Tyrants and the increase of the Church whose endurance is illustrated by the pangs of a Childe-bearing woman Fiftly her deliuerance from persecution with the resurrection of the dead through Christ is foretold And lastly the faiâ—hfull are exhorted to attend on the LORD their Sauiour who will shortly come to iudgement and take account for the bloud of his â—aints This Song is made in the person of the whole Church And the particular members thereof may also sing the same to comfort themselues and to encourage one another to be confident in all their chastisements and persecutions vpon consideration of the shortnesse of the time and the certaintie of their Redeemers comming They may also when they please make vse of it thereby to praise God for his iudgements for his fauour to his people and for the confirmation of their owne faiths in both those The Song A Citty now haue we obtain'd Where strong defences are And God saluation hath ordai'nd For wa's and Bulwarkes there The gates thereof wide open set Those righteous people who The Truths obseruers are may get Admittance thereinto There thou in peace wilt keepe him sure Whose thoughts well grounded be In peace that euer shall endure Because he trusted thee For-euermore vpon the LORD Without distrust depend For in the LORD th' eternall LORD Is strength that hath no end He makes the lofty City yeeld And her proud dwellers bow He layes it leuell with the field And with the dust below Their feet who poore and needy are Their feet
Isra'l through those Countries all In which they far or nigh dispersed be Because of that transgression wherewithall They haue transgressed and offended thee To vs our Kings our Dukes and Fathers doth Disgrace pertaine oh LORD for angring thee Yet mercy LORD our God and pardon both To thee belongs though we rebellious be For as for vs we sore haue disobey'd The Lord our God his voyce and would not heare To keepe his lawes which he before vs laid By those his seruants which his Prophetâ— were Yea all that of the race of Isra'l be Against thy law extreamely haue misdone And that they might not â—isten vnto thee They from thy voice oh LORD are backward gone Which makes both Curse and Oth on them descend That in the Law of Moses written was The seruant of that God whom we offend And now his speeches he hath brought to passe On vs and on our Iudges he doth bring That plague wherewith he threatned vs and them For vnder heau'n was neuer such a thing As now is acted on Ierusalem As Moses written Law doth beare record Now all this mischiefe is vpon vs brought And yet we prayed not before the LORD That leauing sinne we might his Truth be taught For this respect the LORD in wait hath laid That he inflict on vs this mischiefe might And seeing we his voyce haue disobay'd In all his workes the LORD our God's vpright But now oh LORD our God who from the land Of cruell Aegypt brought thy people hast And by the power of thine almighty hand Atchieu'd a name which to this day doth last Though we haue sinned and committed ill Yet LORD by all that righteousnesse in thee From thy Ierusalem thy holy hill Oh let thy wrath and anger turned be For by those wicked things which we haue don And through our fathers sinnes Ierusalem Yea thine owne people haue the hatred won And the reproach of all that neighbour them Now therefore to thy Seruant's suite encline His prayer heare our God and let thy face Eu'n for the LORDS deare sake vouchsafe to shine Vpon thy now forsaken holy place Thine eares encline thou oh my God and heare Lift vp thine eyes and vs oh looke vpon Vs who forsaken with thy Citty are The Citty where thy name is called on For we vpon our selues presume not thus Before thy presence our request to make For any righteousnesse that is in vs But for thy great and tender Mercies sake LORD heare forgiue oh LORD and weigh the same Oh LORD performe it and no more deferre For thine owne sake my God for by thy name Thy Citty and thy people called are THE Prayer of IONAH Ionah 2. The Argument and Vse AS Ionah fled from the presence of the LORD he was followed by a tempest whose furie would not be allayed vntil the offender was cast into the Sea where God had mercie on him and sent a Fish to preserue him Which in humane reason seemed a more terrible danger then that he was deliuered from But the safetie which at his first entrance hee found in so vnsafe a place made him sensible of Gods fauour and begat in him a firme beliefe that he should be totally deliuered And thereupon being yet in the Fishes belly made this Prayer to praise God for deliuering him in so great an extremity And he did it as speaking of a thing already done the better to shew vs the soundnesse of his faith The things remarkeable are these The place where he prayed the terrible and vnauiodable danger that compassed him the dispaire he was nigh falling into the timely application of Gods mercy the comfort it infused into him the occasions which draw men into these perils the vowe made vpon this deliuerance and lastly the reason of that vowe Now this buriall of Ionas in the fishes belly and his deliuery from thence was a signe of the buriall and resurrection of our blessed Sauiour Mat. 12.40 And therefore we must not thinke he made this Prayer onely in his owne person but in the misticall body of Iesus Christ also For by contemplating the circumstances of his danger and deliuerance and hauing the spirit of prophecie he apprehended the misteries of our Redemption By the ship ready to be sunke through that tempest in which he was cast away he conceiued the wrath of God against the world for sinne and that it would not be appeased without satisfaction By his owne offence he foresaw hâ—w Christ hauing taken our sinne vpon him should to bring peace vnto the world be deliuered ouer vnto the rage of Pilate and the Iewes By his being receiued into the fishes belly and there preserued aliue he foresaw how Christ should be swallowed vp of the graue and yet remaine vncorrupted And by the fore-sight he had of his owne comming safe to the shore againe he apprehended that ioyful resurrection of our Redeemer whose misticall body the Church lay all that while as it were in the very Jawes of death and hell These things Ionah apprehended through the spirit of prophecie and by the obiects aforesaid composed this Prayer to set forth the mercies of God and to expresse in what a fearefull estate mankinde was vntill Christ was risen againe in victory And therefore J thinke as it will become vs Christians often to sing it in memory thereof so especially vpon that day which we celebrate in memoriall of our Sauiours Resurrection The Song IN my distresse I cry'd to thee oh Lord And thou wert pleased my complaint to heare Out from the bowels of the grauâ— I roar'â— and to my voyce thou didst encline thine eare For I amid the Sea was cast And to the bottome there thou plung'd me hast The flouds about me rowling circles made Thy waues and billowes ouer-flow'd me quite Wherewith alas vnto my selfe I said I am for euer-more depriu'd thy sight Yet once againe aduance shall I Vnto thy holy Temple-ward mine eye Eu'n to my soule the waters clos'd me had Or'e-swallow'd by the deepes I there was pent About my head the weedes a wreath had made Vnto the hils foundation downe I went And so that forth I could not get The earth an euer-lasting barre had set Then thou oh LORD my God oh thou wert he That from corruption didst my life defend For when my soule was like to faint in me Thou didst oh LORD into my thoughts descend My prayer vnto thee I sent And to thy holy Temple vp it went Those who giue trust to vaine and foolish lies Despisers of their owne good safetie be But I will offer vp a sacrifice Of singing praises with my voice to thee And will performe what vow'd I haue For it belongs to thee oh LORD to saue THE Song of HABAKKVK Habak 3. The Argument and Vse BEfore the following Song is vsually this TITLE A Prayer of the PROPHET Habakkuk vpon Sigionoth or as most Translations haue it For the ignorances that is for the comfort and better information of the people
who were disheartened through their ignorance in the iudgements and mercies of God For the Prophet in his first Chapter personated the weake members of the Church who were offended at the prosperity of the vngodly And hauing there brought them in complayning as if they feared all things would continually succeede better with their wicked oppressors then with them as it did for that present he in the next Chapter declared the LORDS answer to that ignorant complaint of theirs Shewing that vndoubtedly the pride couetousnesse cruelty drunkennesse and idolatry of the Chaldeans their tyrannizing enemies should be punished And afterward in this Song which is his third Chapter he first prayeth and prayseth God for that promised deliuerance secondly setteth forth the glorious Maiesty of the Deliuerer by excellent Allegories and Allusions to the manner of those former deliuerances which he had vouchsafed vnto the People the Iewes And lastly foretelling the miserable and horrible destruction of the Aduersary in his owne and in the person of all the Elect resolueth what euer happens to reioyce with confidence in the strength and fauour of God In briefe this Song hath foure parts In the first the Sauiour is prayed for according to the promise of God Jn the second the Maiesty of his comming is described Jn the third his victory with the ruine of Antichrist is declared And fourthly the ioy and confidence of the Church is foretold True it is that by reason of the many deepe Misteries herein contained this Song is to many very obscure Insomuch that the latter Hebrew Rabbins accounted it one of the most difficult places of holy Scripture And so shall we Christians find it yea and little pertinent to vs also if we looke thereon with their blinde eyes who could see no farther then the letter For they either thought this Prophecy had no further relation then to the temporall deliuery of the Iewes by destruction of the Chaldeans many ages past or else imagined as some a little infected with Iudaisme at this day teach that it had respect to a carnall and temporall restoring of that Nation now in these last ages of the World Whereas it hath indeede a more principall aime For though it shall not be denied that it had somewhat a respect to the Israelites deliuerance from the Babylonian seruitude yet if they should be vrged to shew vs how according to their meere litterall sence he that diliuered them may be said to come from Theman and Mount Paran how that maiesty expressed here may be applyed to him what plagues and fire went before him how he stood and measured the earth where mountaines trembled and were remoued how the Sun and Moone stood still c. I am perswaded it would trouble their best Expositor But if we will vnderstand it to haue principall respect as in truth it hath to the Churches deliuerance from the spirituall Babylon from the slauery of the Diuell and the rage of Antichrist by the first and second comming of our Sauiour Iesus Christ it will then be easie through the helpe of Gods holy Spirit to shew you that these Allegories and Aenigmaticall expressions which are so hard to the Iewes and some misbeleeuers are plainely vnridled to vs who beleeue Redemption by the Sonne of God This Song is to be sung historically in memory of our deliuerance by the first comming of Iesus Christ and prophetically for a comfortable remembrance of a perfect deliuery assured vs at 〈…〉 comming Both which commings to those who by the eyes of faith can apprehend the manner of them will appeare no lesse glorious then they are here described by way of Allusion But least Chusan and Midian being names of Nations sometime temporall enemies to the Iewes may seeme impertinent to these times you must know that all the Names of Persons or Places vsed in the old Testament were giuen for the sake of those things which they typified more then for their owne and do◠therefore more properly expresse their natures So in this place Chusan signifying darke blacke or cloudy and Midian which is interpreted of condemnation or of iudgement better agrees to those spirituall Aduersaries whom they prefigured then to those people who were litterally so called For none are so fitly termed people of Darknes or Condemnation as the members of Anti-christ The Song LOrd thy answere did I heare And I grew therewith afraid When the times at fullest are Let thy worke be then declar'd When the times Lord full doe grow Then in anger mercy show The Almighty God came downe He came downe from Theman-ward The eternall holy One Selah From mount Paran forth appear'd Heau'n couering with his raies And earth filling with his praise As the Sunns is was his light From his hands there did appeare Beaming rayes that shined bright And his power is shrouded there Plagues before his face he sent At his feet hot coles there went Where he stood he measure tooke Of the earth and view'd it well Nations vanish't at his looke Auncient hils to powder fell Mountaines old cast lower were For his waies eternall are Cushan tents I saw diseas'd And the Midian Curtaines quake Haue the flouds LORD thee displeas'd Did the flouds thee angry make Was it else the sea that hath Thus prouoked thee to wrath For thou rod'st thy horses there And thy sauing Charro'ts through Thou didst make thy bowe appeare And as hath beene by a vowe To the tribes agreed vnto Thou perform'dst thy promise so Selah Thou didst cleaue the earth and make Rifts through which did riuers flow Mountaines seeing thee did shake And away the flouds did goe From the deepe a voice was heard And his hands on high he rear'd Both the Sunne and Moone did stay And remou'd not in their spheares By thine arrowes light went they By thy brightly-shining speares Thou in wrath the land did'st crush And in rage the Nations thresh For thy peoples safe reliefe With thy Christ for ayd went'st thou Thou hast also pierst the Chiefe Of the sinfull houshold through And displaid them till that bare From the foot to necke they were Selah Thou with weapons of their owne Didst their armies Leader strike For against me they came downe To disperse me whirle-winde-like And they Ioy in nothing more Then vnseene to spoile the poore Through the Sea thou mad'st a way And did'st ride thy horses where Mighty heapes of waters lay I thereof report did heare And the voice my bowels shooke Yea my lippes a quiu'ring tooke Rottennesse my bones possest And a trembling ceazed me I that troublous day might rest For when his approches be Vp vnto the people made Then his troupes will them inuade Bloomelesse shall the fig-tree be And the vine no fruit shall yeeld Fade shall then the oliue tree Meat shall none be in the field Neither in the fold nor stall Flocke or heard continue shall Yet the LORD my icy shall be And in him I will delight In my God that saueth me God the LORD who is my ought And so guides my feet that I Hinde-like walke my places high FINIS