weary with their servitude; not trained up to war; not furnished with provision for a field: themselves, captains and soldiers by profession; furnished with horses, and chariots of war. They gave themselves therefore the victory beforehand, and Israel either for spoil or bondage. Yea, the weak Israelites gave up themselves for dead, and already are talking of their graves. They see the sea before them; behind them, the Egyptians: they know not whether is more merciless, and are stricken with the fear of both. O God, how couldst thou forbear so distrustful a people! they had seen all thy wonders in Egypt and in their Goshen; they saw even now thy pillar before them, and yet they did more fear Egypt than believe thee. Thy patience is no less miracle than thy deliverance. But instead of removing from them, the cloudy pillar removes behind them, and stands betwixt the Israelites and Egyptians; as if God would have said, "They shall first overcome me, O Israel, ere they touch thee." Wonder did now justly strive with fear in the Israelites, when they saw the cloud remove behind them, and the sea remove before them. They were not used to such bulwarks. God stood behind them in the cloud; the sea reared them up walls on both sides them. That, which they feared would be their destruction, protected them: how easily can God make the cruellest of his creatures both our friends and patrons! Yet here was faith mixed with unbelief. He was a bold Israelite that set the first foot into the channel of the sea; and every step, that they set in that moist way, was a new exercise of their faith. Pharaoh sees all this, and wonders; yet hath not the wit nor grace to think, though the pillar tells him so much, that God made a difference betwixt him and Israel. He is offended with the sea, for giving way to his enemies, and yet sees not why he may not trust it as well as they. He might well have thought, that he which gave light in Goshen, when there was darkness in Egypt, could as well distinguish in the sea; but he cannot now either consider, or fear: it is his time to perish. God makes him fair way, and lets him run smoothly on, till he be come to the midst of the sea; not one wave may rise up against him, to wet so much as the hoof of his horse. Extraordinary favours to wicked men, are the forerunners of their ruin. Now when God sees the Egyptians too far to return, he finds time to strike them with their last terror: they know not why, but they would return too late. Those chariots, in which they trusted, now fail them; as having done service enough, to carry them into perdition. God pursues them, and they cannot fly from him. Wicked men make equal haste, both to sin, and from judgment; but they shall one day find, that it is not more easy to run into sin, than impossible to run away from judgment: the sea will shew them, that it regards the rod of Moses, not the sceptre of Pharaoh; and now, as glad to have got the enemies of God at such advantage, shuts her mouth upon them, and swallows them up in her waves; and, after she had made sport with them awhile, casts them upon her sand, for a spectacle of triumph to their adver saries. What a sight was this to the Israelites, when they were now safe on the shore, to see their enemies come floating after them upon the billows; and to find among the carcasses upon the sands, their known oppressors, which now they can tread upon with insult! they did not cry more loud before, than now they sing. Not their faith, but their sense, teaches them now to magnify that God after their deliverance, whom they hardly trusted for their deliverance. Exod. vii, viii, ix, x, xi, xii. TO THE HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCE, CHARLES, PRINCE OF GREAT BRITAIN. MOST EXCELLENT PRINCE: ACCORDING CCORDING to the true duty of a servant, I intended all my CONTEMPLATIONS to your now glorious Brother, of sweet and sorrowful memory. The first part whereof, as it was the last book that ever was dedicated to that dear and immortal name of his; so it was the last, that was turned over by his gracious hand. Now, since it pleased the God of spirits to call him from these poor Contemplations of ours, to the blessed contemplation of himself, to see him as He is, to see as he is seen; to whom is this sequel of my labours due, but to your Highness, the heir of his honour and virtues? Every year of my short pilgrimage is like to add something to this Work; which, in regard of the subject, is scarce finite: The whole doth not only crave your Highness's patronage, but promises to requite your princely acceptation, with many sacred examples and rules, both for piety and wisdom; towards the decking up of this flourishing spring of your age; in the hopes whereof, not only we live, but he that is dead, lives still in you: and if any piece of these endeavours come short of my desires, I shall supply the rest with my prayers; which shall never be wanting to the God of Princes, that your happy proceedings may make glad the Church of God, and yourself in either world glorious. Your Highness's in all humble devotion, and faithful observance, JOSEPH HALL. BOOK V TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE HENRY, EARL OF HUNTINGDON, LORD HASTINGS, BOTREAUX, MOLINES AND MOILES, HIS MAJESTY'S LIEUTENANT IN THE COUNTY OF LEICESTER, A BOUNTIFUL FAVOURER OF ALL GOOD LEARNING, A NOBLE Precedent of virtue, THE FIRST PATRON OF MY POOR STUDIES, J. H. DEDICATES THIS PIECE OF HIS LABOURS, AND WISHeth all HONOUR AND HAPPINESS. THE WATERS OF MARAH. ISRAEL was not more loth to come to the Red Sea, than to part from it. How soon can God turn the horror of any evil into pleasure! One shore resounded with shrieks of fear; the other, with timbrels and dances, and songs of deliverance. Every main affliction is our Red Sea, which, while it threats to swallow, preserves us. At last, our songs shall be louder than our cries. The Isra elitish dames, when they saw their danger, thought they might have left their timbrels behind them; how unprofitable a burden seemed those instruments of music! yet now they live to renew that forgotten minstrelsy and dancing, which their bondage had so long discontinued: and well might those feet dance upon the shore, which had walked through the sea. The land of Goshen was not so bountiful to them, as these waters. That afforded them a servile life: this gave them at once freedom, victory, riches; bestowing upon them the remainder of that wealth, which the Egyptians had but lent. It was a pleasure to see the floating carcasses of their adversaries; and every day offers them new booties: it is no marvel then if their hearts were tied to these banks. If we find but a little pleasure in our life, we are ready to dote upon it. Every small contentment glues our affections to that we like: and if here our imperfect delights hold us so fast, that we would not be loosed; how forcible shall those infinite joys be above, when our souls are once possessed of them! VOL. I. |