Use 2.

2

3

and filled, notwithstanding you give them not those things which be needfull for the body, what doth it profit?

2 Let the poor know that their God doth take care of them to vifite their fins with rods, who fpoil them, feeing they have forgotten that we are members one of another, and have invaded the goods of their brethren, God will arm them against themselves, and beat them with their own ftaves, either their own compafling and over-reaching wits fhall confume their store, or their unthrifty pofterity fhall put wings upon their riches to make them fly, or God fhall not give them the bleffing to take ufe of their wealth,but they fhal leave to fuch as fhall be mercifull to the poor.

Therefore let them follow the Wisemans counsell. Curfe Ecclef.1o. not the rich; no not in thy bed chamber, fet no railing and unchri20. stian bitterneffe wrong a good caufe, let it be comfort enough to them, that God is both their fupporter and avenger, is it not fufficient to lay all the ftorms of difcontent against their oppreffours, that God fees their affliction, and commeth down to deliver and to avenge them...

Ufe 3. 3 Rather let this move them to commit their caufe to the Lord, for as Tertullian faith:

Si apud Deum depofueris morbum medicus eft, fi damnum reftitutor eft, fi injuriam ultor eft, fi mortem refufcitator eft.

Let not the fair weather of oppreffours grieve them that live in the tempeft of their injuries, David will tell them, that he faith, ungodly flourish like a green bay tree, and anon hee fought them, and their place was not found!

Here is the exaltation of Chriftian charity, to bleffe and pray for fuch, and this will heap coals of fire upon their head, either to warm their charity which hath taken cold, or to confume or devour them.

There was a time, when he that denied Lazarus a crum, begged of him a drop: & qui negavit dare micam, non accepit guttam, and he that denied a crum, had not a drop.

Verfe

3

Verfe 15. Thou didst walk through the sea, with thine horses Hab.3.17. throughthe heap of great waters.

T

Hefe words do end the fection, which conteineth a
thankfull commemoration of Gods former mercies to
his people.

De Verborum interpretatione.

It feemeth to me cleer against all queftion, that this text hath reference to the wonderfull paffage of Ifrael through the red fea, of which mention is made before, Verse 8.

Was thy wrath against the fea, that thou didst ride upon thy horfes, and chariots of thy falvation.

The words expreffe that miracle very fully and fitly, for where it is faid. Thou didst walk through the fea: this hath reference to that which we read concerning this paffage over the red feat Exodus 14. In which this is memorable, that God went before the people of Ifrael, on the fhoare, but it is faid, when God gave Mofes direction to lift up his rod, and stretch forth his hand over the fea to divide it, Mofes having fo dorie. The Angel of God which went before the camp of Ifrael, re- 19. moved, and went behind it, and the pillar of cloud went from before their face, and food behind them.

And it came between the camp of the Egyptians, and the camp of 20. Ifrael, and it was a cloud of darknee to them: ie to the Egyptians, and it gave light by night to these, that is, to Ifrael, fo that the one came not neer the other all night.

).

This ftory fheweth how God did walk through the sea, even between the two camps.

The power of Gods word went before them,the prefence of his Angel went behind them, God himself carried the dark lanthorn, which kept all light from the Egyptians, and fhewed a cleer light to Ifrael.

The horses of God here mentioned are the emblems of ftrength, courage and speed. For thus was Ifrael relieved through the heap of the great waters, that is, on the way made through the fea, which was gathered in heaps on both fides.

XXX 2

So

Reaf.1.

So the words are plain and eafie.

The fumme of them is a repetition of that great wonder of the conduct of Ifrael, per mare, through the fea, of which I have formerly fpoken at large, and now remaineth that we fearch the reason why, this one fpeciall miracle is here again repeated. That is,

Becaufe this was the greateft miracle of power and mercy, which made the name of God glorious amongst all nations, and the fame whereof was furtheft fpread abroad in the world, for never was the like heard of before or Lince.

Yet I will not conceal from you, that Jofephus writing this story of the divifion of the fea for the paffage of Ifrael, to give it the more credite. Ne quis difcredat verbo miraculi: doth reAntiquit.2 port alike wonder, that God intending by Alexander the Great, to deftroy the Perfian Kingdom, did open the like paffage through the Pamphilian fea to Alexander and his army, he addeth, Id quod omnes teftantur, that which all do witness, who wrote the ftory of Alexanders conquefts..

cap.14.

Quintus Curtius, who writeth of purpose the life and acts, and death of Alexander, faith no more of it but this, Mare novum itur in Pamphiliam aperuerats which being afcribed to Alexander himself, doth declare it no miraculous paffage.

But Strabo cleereth it thus, that this fea was no other, then fuch as we have within our own land, which we call Wathes, wherein the fea forfaketh the fands at an ebbe, and leaveth them bare and paffable, on foot or horfe-back, and he faith, that Alexander paffed his army through these washes,but being belated, the waters returned upon them before they could recover the fhoare of Pamphilia,ut toto die itur faceret in mare umbilico tenus.

Therefore Jofephus was ill advifed to parallel this paffage with the Ifrael paffage through the red fea, feeing there were fo many difparisons, and whereas he feemed to labour to give credit to Mofes his hiftory, by this unlike example, he rather blemished the glory of this fuperadmirable miracle,

There is not any of the great wonders that God wrought for Ifrael, fo often remembred in Scripture as this is, and where

the

the Spirit of God so often fixeth our eyes and thoughts: wee fhall do evill to take them of.

Mofes biddeth Ifrael remember this miracle of their paf- D.ut.11:4 fage, Vhat God did to the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and their chariots, how bee made the water of the Rea Sea to over-flow them.

Rakab could tell the Spies, we have heard how the Lord dryed Josh.1.11. up the water of the Red Sea for you. Affoon as we heard, our hearts 12. did melt, neither did there remain any courage in any man because of

you.

.

Thy way is in the Sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy Pf.77.19. footsteps are not feen...

Thon leddeft thy people like a flock, by the hand of Mofes and Verfezo. Aaron.. 1714

Therefore, it is a fabulous relation of Paulus Orofius, who reporteth it as an addition to this wonder, that the trace of the Chariot wheels, was in his days to be seen on the fands of the Red Sea at every ebbe: and that if they were defaced, yet they renewed again. But David faith, that the footsteps of this paffage were not feen: and we need not add any thing to the miracles of God to make them more miraculous. David, again, remembreth it, faying:

He divided the Sea, and caused them to paffe thorough: and hee Víal.78.13 made the waters to ftand on an heap. The Sea over-whelmed their

nemies.

e- 53.

He rebuked the Red Sea alfo, and it was dryed up, fo he led them Pl.106.9. thorough the depths, as through a wilderness.

The waters covered their enemies, fo that there was not one of them 11.

Left.

When Ifrael came out of Egypt, &c.

The Sea Jaw that and fled.

what ailed thee, ô Sea, that thou fleddeft!

He divided the Red Sea into parts.

He overthrew Pharaoh and bis hoaft in the Red Sea.

Art not thou it, that hath dryed up the Sea, the waters of the great deep, that hath made the depths of the Sea a way for the ranfu-, med to pass over?

Xxx 3

Many

Pf.114.1.

3.

5.

Pr.136.13,
Verle 15.4

Ifai.51.10.

Doct.

Many more are the mentions of this miracle in the book of God, and here we finde it in this Pfalme doubly repeated. Which teacheth us that Gods extraordinary mercies must be often remembred.

For we must confider our God two wayes.

1 Quà Deus, as God, and fo he is to be worshipped, cultu latria propter Deum, for his own fake, though we could live without him. Though he do hide his face from us, and heap Job 7.20. up his judgments on us, as fob faith, though he maketh us, as his mark to shoot at, though all his arrows do stick faft in us.

2 Quà benefactor, as a benefactor, and that also two ways. 1 Propter opus providentia, for his work of providence, whereby he is to us a gratious God and merciful father, taking his Church to himself, and gathering it under his wings, fhiel ding it against the Sun by day, and against the Moon by night.

2 Propter opera privilegiata, for his priviledged works, efpecially favours of mercie, quando non facit taliter. For the * firft, all our life, especially the Sabbath, is defigned to the worship and service of God for the fame: the fecond of his extraordinary works, doth exact of us fingular commemoration by themselves, and therefore Abulenfis faith;

Omnia fefta que Deus inftituit obfervanda à Judais fiebant, ad recordationen beneficiorum ejus.

Now the school faith well, that latria is not totaliter determi nata, to these or the fe times or ceremonies, or occafions, but that we may worship God alwayes quà Deus, as God; upon fpeciall occafions quà Benefactor, as Benefactor.

And fo the Jews kept the memoriall of their deliverance from Egypt in their anniversary celebration of the Paffeover, and of their dwelling in tents, in the feaft of Tabernacles.

And of their deliverance from Haman in their feaft of Purim. And the Germane Proteftants do keep a Chriftian Jubilee every 50 year, for their deliverance from the darkneffe of Popery, and their ejection of the Pope.

Wherein our Church as much beholding to God for the fame benefit as they, doth come fhort of them in matter of thankfulneffe to God for the expulfion of that man of fin

from us.

We