Tyre c. These are the Ploughers that plough upon thy back and make long furrowes the plough of persecution that goes the hands of evill Counsellors hold and guide it the cords of powers and policies are fastened to it the horse in the Geeres are the brutish people made souldiers these draw the plough though they sweat and bleed for it have many a lash in their work and short provender after the drivers with a whip over them are surious Commanders and sometimes a Cavallier Priest comes up with Ghostly counsell stroaks them claps them on the back to hearten them and all the while the owner of the plough the devill or the Pope his Bayliffe walkes by to see the work goe on thus the plough works all the yeare long l Ps 129.3 4. The righteous Lord cut asunder the cords of these wicked ones Again the enemies stay themselves upon a Rock of Horses and Horsemen because they are strong though when all is done the Egyptians are men and not God Isaiah 31.1.3 and their horses flesh and not spirit Secondly the enemy hath a creature-rock of mans making their strong Townes Forts Castles by land and ships by sea gold and silver are lookt upon as a high wal monies either forced away from owners at home or begged or borrowed abroad Again they trust to their Idoll Gods of their own making also Hosea 14.3 and say to the workes of their hands Save us Thirdly the enemy hath another creature-rock if I may so phrase it of the Devils making for he trusts in his very sinnes and strengthens himselfe in his wickednesse * Psal 52.7 so Doeg the Edomite Their first rock of this kind are lyes and delusions the Devill was a lying spirit in the mouth of the false Prophets Ahab trusted to their lies 1 King 22. ingaged himselfe in an unlawfull warre and it was his ruine Doe they not trust upon plausible Declarations and lying Protestations which have Religion Lawes and Liberties in the Letter but not in the Spirit of them and upon Propositions which have Peace in the mouth but Warre in the heart Nay they trust to a monstrous lie such a one as I thinke our fathers never heard of a new upstart Anti-Parliament this is a strange Sunne risen in our Hemispheare not to inlighten but to darken our Horizon yet wise men Beloved looke upon the true Sunne which shines here in its proper Orbe and upon that as a Meteor a Parelius the Apparition of a Sunne in a thick watery cloud yet such a one is ominous portends raine and stormes naturally and foretels clandestine conspiracies for the troubling the peace of Kingdomes through warres and commotions by divine ordination supernaturally Thus some * Magirus Philosophers but here is the difference between the naturall Parelius in the cloud and our unnaturall Parelius in the State that what the one portends onely the other acts powres downe stormes of bloud plots against and troubles Israel I might tell you of another lie much trusted to the lie of a bloudy Peace in Ireland and all these magick lying wonders are but to blind the eyes of the people that Moses and Aaron might be the lesse regarded by them Jugler-like to raise a dust or a mist to act their feats in or Philistim-like to pull out the eyes of Sampson for the people are the Sampson the strength of a Nation that so they may make him to grind in any of their mils or if you will high-way-cutter-like to shooe their horses backward that when by the tread of the foot you thinke they are gone East the truth is they are running full speed clean another way There is another sinne the enemy trusts unto oaths and perjuries oaths doe but guild over lies and perjuries help to strengthen forgeries They trust to their sinne of oppression this was one of the rocks of Egypt 1 sal 62.10 Keep Israel poore and low enough and then you may doe with them what you please and this is Romes Machiavilian policy to this very day The enemy relies much upon his art and skill in the intoxication of Princes and great men with a cup of fornications thereby holding them up in their ingagements against Israel this was the magick sleight of Egypt to blow up and keep alive the flame of Pharaoh's indignation though he in himselfe had many inclinations to let Israel goe he must chide Moses and Aaron even when they brought the message of the Lord unto him these wily Sorcerers held Pharaoh captive and by his meanes Israel Lastly there is yet one sinne more they much leane upon Num. 22. Magick and Witchcraft Balaam must be hired to curse Israel and if Witches and Wizards have any power in their black Art now is a time for them to drive a full trade they may have worke enough if they will worke either for love or money for feare hopes or hatred but let not this trouble thee O Israel for Numb 23.23 surely there is no inchantment against Jacob neither is there any divination against Israel Observ 3 The third observation was that Israel hath a rock also First God in his name and nature mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth Exod. 34.6 7. Deus natura foedere gratiae ad benefaciendum proclivis Jun. in Annot. Matth. 16.18 keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sinne c. God in Christ God in Covenant Free-Grace in God the Father full merit in Christ the Sonne and powerfull operation in God the holy Ghost make up a rock sure and stedfast for Israel to build upon against which the gates of hell shall not prevaile the gates where the Courts of Guard are kept and the war-like strength of a City lies the gates where Courts of Justice are kept in which wisdome and counsell lies so that all the powers and policies of hell are too weake for this rock of Israel Secondly God in his Essence Properties Attributes Gen. 17.8 is all Israels I will be their God makes over all that God hath to Israel God hath a heart of mercy to pity Israel a head of wisdome to advise for Israel a hand of power to doe any thing for the good of Israel Thirdly God in promises of all kinds justifying promises sanctifying promises persevering glorifying promises promises that concerne the fall of Babylon and the rise of Zions glory shewes yet further strength in this rock of Israel behold and wonder at the gracious condescension of the great God laying upon himselfe voluntary bonds and obligations Ligatum tenemus Deum for the good and comfort of his Israel the Creator making himselfe a debtor to his poore beleeving creatures Fourthly God in providence and providentiall experiments is another peece of this rock of Israel that providence which pitied England heathenish and made it Christian which pitied England popish and reformed it that providence
hold a Feast Exod. 5.1.3 and to offer Sacrifice to the Lord our God that is the quarrell of Religion they groaned under the heavie iron yoake of bondage longed to have that taken off that is the quarrell of Liberties Our Religion and Liberties are setled by the lawes of the Land not so Israels in Egypt and therefore the Antichristian party in their attempts to wrest them from us are more unjust and cruell then of old was Egypt Had Moses and Aaron quitted their Religion and Liberties all the quarrell between Israel and Egypt had been ended and would our Lords and Commons now at length after serious consultation and mature deliberation resolve for themselves and all the Kingdome to imbrace any Religion and submit to any way of Civill Government which a Malignant Jesuited Councell too nigh the Throne would tender or impose would the Protestant party in City and Countries conclude upon it to make all their wils and to leave no other Legacies to their children and posterity but Popery and Slavery upon these termes we might have peace presently even our bellies full Fifthly the way of Egypts oppressing Israel was by secret subtilties and open hostilities Come on say they let us deale wisely with them a Exod. 1.10 there is subtilty they fell upon them but with all their strength even all the Chariots of Egypt b Exod. 14.7 there 's hostility and surely the Egyptian spirits amongst us are wise in their generations and have as many charets as possible they can get for love or money want no counsell or strength with which men or devills Rome or Hell knowes how to furnish them Sixthly Egypts greatest plague of all was unseen unselt unlamented to wit hardnesse of heart and impenitency though Moses and Aaron held out a cleer light for conviction though signs and wonders were wrought before them and plagues from heaven heapt upon them yet hardned they their hearts against God and his people and would not let Israel goe Our Presses and Pulpits have held out a light satisfactory to all but such as shut their eies and will not see but such as the God of this world hath blinded our Parliamentary Worthies have declared and declared yea God himself hath declared against Egypt and for Israel by his discovery of plots by the rising of well affected spirits in this and the neighbour Nation and that according to promise Behold Numb 23.24 the people shall rise up as a great Lyon and lift up himself as a young Lyon he shall not lye down untill he eat of the prey and drink the blood of the slaine by wonderfull deliverances and victories in the days of battel yet who among all the Malignant Pack repents him of his evill ways saying What have I done Some indeed repent of their facts who of their faults some turne up and down from side to side upon carnall felfish principles as a doore upon the hinges but who goes out and weeps bitterly Rev. 16.10 11. When the fifth Angell powred out his viall upon the seat of the beast and his kingdome was full of darknesse they gnawed their tongues for pain and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores and repented not of their deeds and it argues that the troublers of Israel are animated and acted by the spirit of the Beast because though they fret and fume rage and rave yet they also repent not of their deeds Among many of them scarce appears the honesty of Achan of Judas confessing and giving glory to God Lastly The fatall stroak upon Egypt was the drowning of them in the Red sea Exod. 1. last their design was to have drowned the male children in the rever yea all Israel by forcing them into the sea but by a miracle of mercy Israel was delivered and by the c In quo peccarunt in eodem plectuntur wisdome of divine Justice the Egyptians were overwhelmed and then e Exod. 15.1 2. Moses and all Israel sing a song unto the Lord Even so f Rev. 14.8 Babylon shall fall and that as a great g Rev. 18.21 milstone cast into the sea and then all h Rev. 15.2 3. Israel of God shall stand upon the sea of glasse to wit d Exod. 14. trample Antichristian powers which though many as a sea of waters yet are frayle and brittle as the glasse under their feet having the Harpes of God in their hands and and the song of Moses and of the Lamb in their mouthes saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints c. Thus as in a paire of Indentures cut answers cut and as in the water face answers face so Rome answers Egypt our enemies Israels Obser 2 The second observation propounded was that Israels enemies have a Rock their Rock yet it is but a creature-rock an imaginary rock i Prov. 18.11 The rich mans wealth is his strong city and as a high wall in his conceipt Their creature-rocks are various for methods sake let me thus rank them First the enemy hath creature-rocks of Gods making but their Idolizing men and horses they trust in men because they are many witty mighty the deluded multitudes of men and women in the world Rev. 17.15 make up the many waters whereon the Whore sits to wit people and multitudes and nations and tongues yea all that are ingaged by Antichrist against Christ again because they are witty the wise Statist the deep braind Achitophel and the spirit in the wheeles is the subtile Jesuite yet farther because they are mighty mighty Gentry mighty Nobles and the mighty shadow of the empty name of abused Soveraignty Adde hereunto allies confederates at home or abroad as Ephraim of old went to the Assyrian Hosea 5.13 and sent to King Jareb take in the Papist even to the Frier and the Nun who now sleep not in their cells and cloysters the Prelate the Delinquent the prophane the formalist yea the Welch and Irish and they all drive on the same Catholick design though upon severall grounds some perhaps I hope I speak low enough but some and perhaps of our broken Nobles and decayed Gentry having drunk or diced or drabd away their ancient demeanes hope to raise their Houses again by spoyle and plunder The Papist is carried by a blind zeale and the bloody principles of his Religion the Prelate by his pride and avarice the guilty Delinquent by the feares of Justice the prophane and formalist by their impatience of bearing Christs spirituall yoak in government and worship the poor Welch it may be carryed away by hopes of pay and booties and the Cannibal-Irish by delights in their trade of blood thus are they confederate against thee O Israel the k Ps 83.5.6.7 Tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites of Moab and the Hagarens Gebal and Ammon and Amalck the Philistmes with the inhabitants of
the Kings of the earth and the great men Revel 6.15.16.17 and the rich men and the chiefe Captaines c. shall hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountaines and shall say to the mountaines and the rocks Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Vse 5 Lastly the Doctrine delivered affords a word of exhortation to the enemies and friends of the rock of Israel First oh you enemies why doe you dash your heads against this rock you will but beat out your braines thereby come into Christ to his cause dwell in this rock Jer. 48.28 let me speak to you as the Prophet to the Moabites O yee that dwell in Moab leave the Cities and dwell in the Rock and be like the Dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the holes mouth this will be your wisdome this your safety 1 Sam. 2.2 3. for there is none holy as the Lord neither is there any Rock like our God as Hannah sweetly sings it out in the joy of her spirit Secondly the counsell to beleevers who are the friends of the God of Israel is First that they would sacrifice praises to this rock of Israel for all the evils that they are delivered from and for all the mercies that they are delivered to David saith in a veine of praises Psal 18.46 The Lord liveth and blessed be my rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted Scotland may say the banders prevailed not against the Covenanters Reformation is setled by highest Authority in despight of Papist Prelat Pope or Devill lies as Gideons Fleece dry in peace when England Ireland and other Nations are as the ground round about wet and soaked in the bloud of the slaine inhabitants and therefore let Scotland say The Lord liveth and blessed be my rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted yea England may say I injoy a Parliament a lasting a wise and indefatigable Parliament wherein as yet the Jacobs have beene too hard for the Esau's I am well eased of High-commission Star-chamber and the iron yoak of Episcopacy I have the Lord of Hoasts fighting my battles for me at Keinton Newbery c. I injoy a renowned Metropolis no rebellious City and therefore let England say The Lord-liveth and blessed be my Rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted yea let both the Nations provoke each other to an height of praises and cry each to other Psal 95.1 O come let us sing unto the Lord and let us make a joyfull noyse to the God of our salvation our care must be to get the spirit and reality of praises in the sincerity of obedience and the ingaging our selves our estates our liberties our lives our all for God and for his Cause Hannah having the mercy of a sonne names him Samuel that is asked of the Lord 1 Sam. 1.20 makes her song of praise and spiritualizeth her praises lends or gives her Samuel unto the Lord all the mercies deliverances victories parts gifts c. we injoy may be named Samuels asked of the Lord or rather out of preventing bounty given of the Lord our returne of praises must be our lending our giving all back againe unto the Lord Zach. 14.20 you have already in a degree fulfilled that prophesie of Zachary have wrote upon the bels or bridles of your horses Holinesse unto the Lord upon your pots your bowles your plate Holinesse unto the Lord write on still you wise States-men write upon your foreheads upon yor brain-pans Holinesse unto the Lord. You rich men and wealthy write upon your bagges and purses Holinesse unto the Lord your lending to God in his cause will be upon the best usury and when all is done Publike-faith under Heaven is the best security You valiant Commanders and brave resolute Souldiers young men and strong write upon your armes and thighes upon your swords and speares Holinesse unto the Lord goe on in a pious prodigality of your bloud and lives the Cause is good look to the grounds and principles you move upon to the ends you aime at that they be good also and then I will say of you Cyprian Occidâ—poterant vinâ—i non poterant as Cyprian said of persecuted Christians you may be slaine but not overcome when you die with the Cause of Christ in your hearts and in your hands and when you are ingaged in the battle drink downe this cordiall Dilemma If you live you will live honoured if you die you will die martyred Againe be exhorted to be rocks one to another dash not one against another what though there be variety of judgements among us why may we not be one in our affections why not one against the common adversary The Sheep though they butt and thump one another yet they will all head together against the Dogge I hope in God that he will make the Assembly of Diviner a patterne of agreement to all the friends of truth and peace that behold them I will wait for the fulfilling of that promise if not a Synod promise yet a promise as some conclude Leighs Treat of promises of the sweet accord of Ministers in the daies of the Gospel Ephraim shall not envie Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim Isâ— 11.13 14. but they shall flie upon the shoulders of the Philistins c. to wit lay out their strength against the publike enemy of truth and peace And you the Worthies Heb. 12.14 follow peace I meane not a base complying peace with the publike enemy for private ends but a sweet unanimous peace among your selves Pâ—sar Lex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de re dictam signâ—fic◠〈…〉 obliâ—â—d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 follow it as the Hue and Cry followes the flying felons follow it as the young Gentleman followes his game in chase over hedge and ditch through thick and thin thus follow peace among your selves with greedinesse and delight jarring and divisions here is the best musick and melody that can be made elsewhere among your enemies at home or abroad And now could I lift up my voyce like a Trumpet and speak to all the Counties of the Kingdome my advice should be that they would stick to and be rocks to the Parliament which is a rock to them to contend earnestly for the faith for Religion as also for Lawes and Liberties It is Englands sinne and misery that many parts of the Kingdome either poysoned by a rotten Ministery or misled by a loose Gentry have deserted the Parliament and therein God his Cause his people yea their owne priviledges and themselves also the very same men that not long since groaned for a Parliament now though without cause groane under it like the sickle froward child that cries for this thing and that
RVPES ISRAELIS THE ROCK OF ISRAEL A Little part of its glory laid forth in a Sermon preached at Margarets in Westminster before the Honorable House of COMMONS at their monthly Fast Apr. 24. 1644. By Fdmund Staunton D. D. Minister at Kingston upon Thames in the County of Surrey a Member of the Assembly of Divines LONDON Printed for Christopher Meredith dwelling at the Crane in Pauls Church-yard 1644. To the Honourable House of COMMONS now assembled in PARLIAMENT Renowned Worthies WHat the Pulpit sent to some of your eares the Presse now sends to some of your eyes the good God send it into every one of your hearts and through your hearts into your hands and lives the Argument is worthy of your eares eyes hearts and hands for it is of the highest God and Christ and of the sweetest God in Christ Your thoughts have need enough of high and heartning subjects for the work that a gracious Providence hath ingaged you in is of high concernment and the oppositions you meet withall are high also The building of a Temple and of a Ierusalem is by God and his people put into your hands Church and State lie unshap'd unform'd before you let me mind you of Tobiahs Sanballats Rehums and Shimshai's acting their parts to the life and be you excited and ingaged thereby to appeare still as so many Ezra's Zerubbabels and Nehemiahs see a coincidency of providence betwixt those times and ours Iudah's enemies and ours in some particulars When the foundation of the Temple was laid there was great joy Izra 3.11 12 13. and as great a mourning and when Sanballat and Tobiah heard that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel it grieved them exceedingly and when they heard that the work went on Neh. 2.10 Neh. 4.9 they were very wroth We have a godly generation among us that shout for joy and praise the Lord and an ungodly generation that weep with a loud voyce and complaine their gods are gone their god Episcopacy their god Liturgy the Organ and the Surplice the Crosse and the May-Pole the Sabbath-dance and the Whitson-Ale they grieve exceedingly and are very wroth and if you aske any of them What aileth thee he may answer What have I more And thus the harmony of times begins Ezek. 4.2 3. see how it goes on The subtile adversaries come to Zerubbabel and to the chiefe of the Fathers and say Let us build with you for we seek your God as yee doe but Zerubbabel and Ioshua were too wise to trust them and said unto them You have nothing to doe with us to build an house unto our God the seeming builder is more dangerous then the professed destroyer This plot failing they hired Counsellers to frustrate the purpose of the Iewes Ver. 5. Jun. â—â— loc all the dayes of Cyrus even untill the reigne of Darius Longimanus the fourth from Cyrus and the Popish with the Prelaticall faction have hired Counsellers subtile-headed false-hearted Statists and Lawyers to hinder the Reformation from the dayes of Edward the sixth that English Iosiah untill the reigne of a fourth Prince amongst us Vers 7 8 12 13. The work now goes on amaine yet Rehum and Shimshai with their companions accusers of the brethren lay heavie things to the charge of Ierusalem it is a rebellious and a bad City when it is built will not pay toll tribute and custome the revenues of the Kings will be much endamaged and it was not meet for them to see the Kings dishonour thus glozing sycophants with specious pretexts of tendring his Authority profits and honour flatter Artaxerxes when their designe was to cut the throat of the Iewes and of Religion at once This in sinuation prevailes so farre that the King sends out Decrees Vers 21. and commands to cause the builders to cease and to carry on this unjust Decree they take up arms and by force and power Vers 23. in a way of open hostility make the builders to cease and our Tobiahs and Sanballats are caried by the same spirit or a worse pillaging and plundering their very friends that freely quartered them acting horrid barbarismes in Ireland and England slaying the husband before the wife or ravishing the wife before the husband reviving the cruelty of Phocas to Mauritius slaying his wife and children before his face Melanc L. C. and then putting him to death also By the view of this parallel you see right well how it stands you upon to be famous Ezra's Nehemiahs and Zerubbabels in your generation and how you need all helps and supports from without you may find all in one in the Rock of Israel and indeed glorious things are spoken of and more glorious things are done by this Rock of Israel onely that you may have interest in and get vertue from this Rock so glorious each man among you must make it good that his name is Israel Drusius likes not this cryâ—â— for in sono vecis tantum est Psal 46.8 which by the etymon of the word is as some Vir videns Deum a man seeing God and the true Israelite among you sees and considers the works of God what desolations he hath wrought upon the earth sees and knowes God not as a Creator only so the Gentiles saw him by the dark light of nature but as a Redeemer also and that not through the cloud of legall sacrifices and shadowes so the Jewes of old saw him but in a perspicuous and cleare light John 1.18 Matth. 5.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 principatu obt nuit and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deus So the holy Ghost expounds it Gen 32 28. Hos 12 4. Legh Crit. Sac. in Christ and in the gospel yea the glory of heaven consists in a full sight of God lies in vision the man whose name is Israel is Princeps Dei a Prince of God hath power with God and from God he that Iacob-like wrastles with God by strength of faith by importunity of prayer and prevailes goes away with the name Israel and though he goe halting away spoyled of his estate deprived of friends c. in these conflicting times yet he carries a blessing with him comes off with comfort and honour and having a prevailing power with God you need not feare but you shall prevaile over Esau's as hairy as rough and rugged as they are yea that faith which prevailes with God will subdue Kingdomes also Heb. 11.33 and that faith which subdues Kingdomes will easily if put out in the strength of it subdue the prophane and malignant crew of a Kingdome Isa 8 9 10. who though they associate themselves together and cry A confederacy a confederacy yet shall they be broken in peeces Psal 112.7 So Answ Psal 20. for God is with us And therfore be not at any time afraid of evil tidings or heare-say but let your hearts be
their Rock c. And the reason of that impossibility ariseth from the soveraignty of God Israels protector and the vanity of Idols yea of all the props and supporters of the enemy especially Gods soveraignty and their vanity being balanced together For their rocke is not as our Rock even the enemies themselves being Iudges For the letter or Grammar of the words the Originall runs thus d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for not like our Rock their rock The e Septuagint renders it a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For their Gods are not as our God But the rendring of the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Rock by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God b So rendred verse 4. Psal 71.3 c. Leigh Crit. Sac. in vet Test which is usuall in the Septuagint is rather an Interpretation then a translation Many Latin Bibles follow rather the Septuagint then the Originall and have Deut dei God and gods the Chaldee Paraphrase saith Strength this to the sense also though not to the letter Lay all together and you have the whole before you Their rock is not as our Rock their gods not as our God their strength not as our Strength Even our enemies themselves being Judges the Originall runs thus a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even our enemies Judges The Septuagint renders it b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and our enemies unintelligent fooles and witless And c Agelius in boc Cant. Mos non inimici nostri consiliarii or inimici nostri stulti c. Agelius tells us that some of the Hebrewes gave the occasion probably to the Septuagint for this translation for they breake the words into two negative Propositions first Their rock is not as our Rock the second and Our enemies are not Judges that is not men of wisedome but silly Idiots fetching the negative particle of the first proposition into the second though not expressed And this is an usuall Hebraisme take one instance Ps 38.1 O Lord rebuke me not in thy indignation and chasten me not in thy sore displeasure the negative particle in the former clause is not expressed in the latter though understood And this Interpretation of the Text if possible yet not probable and if any curiously inquire for the reason why the Septuagint translates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Judges by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 senselesse foolish I must answer him with an ergo quaere inquire still For the Rhetorick of the words first some think there is an Apostrophe a turning of the speech in the whole by Moses so Junius or the people so Ainsworth d Iun. Annot. in loc by Moses and the people probable also Moses spake his owne mind and the mind of the people saying their rocke is not as our rocke c. Againe others conceive there are two tropes a Metaphor in the word rock for God strength supports and a Synecdoche generis prospecie Piscator in loc their rocke expressing all the props and supports of enemies when their Idol-gods their principall supports are especially aymed at In stead of the Logick and division of the text be pleased to take notice of these five particulars the three first necessarily implyed the two last plainly exprest First that Israel hath an enemy Secondly that this enemy hath a rock to wit something he trusts unto and leans upon their Rock Thirdly that Israel hath a Rock also our Rock Fourthly that there is no comparison betweene the rock of the enemy and the rock of Israel their rock is not c. Fifthly that the proofe hereof is from the adversaries themselves our enemies themselves being Iudges The first observation is that Israel hath an enemy the Assyrians Chaldeans Romans but especially the Egyptians here pointed at as Israels most notorious and professed enemies and the grand enemy of Gods Israel in our dayes is Rome and its adherents typed out by Egypt Rev. 11.8 and hence the great City Rome is spiritually called Egypt Spiritually that is by way of Allegory and resemblance the Kingdome of Egypt shadowing out the Kingdome of the beast the Parallel may run thus First Egypts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mad-Idoll worship having brutish Gods the Cow the Oxe and the Crocodile and Herbal Gods e Herodot in Enter leekes and onyons You may read at large the grossenesse of Egypts Idolatry in Herodotus and f Juvenal Satyr 15 quis nescit qualia demens Aegyptus pottenta colat Juvenall and yet Rome is more idolatrous Egypt adored creatures animale of Gods making Rome things inanimate also of mans making stocks and stones Rome hath Gods of gold and silver of brasse and wood in their painted and carved Images hath a breaden God in their reall presence makes all the Saints and Angels Gods by their invocation or adoration of them makes every Priest a God by his power of transubstantiation and that they may have Gods enough they make every one of themselves yea every good work they doe a God by opinion of merit in it Mant. Eclog. 9. Fama est Aegyptum c. and therefore the Poet Mantuan spake truth and Divinity when he said that Rome was more idolatrous then Egypt Secondly one of the plagues of Egypt was darknesse and surely the Kingdom of the beast is a Kingdome of darknesse Romes deluded Proselytes are tutored into ignorance of Scriptures Christ and God Egypts darknesse was externall Luther in Act. August Italia in Aegypti tenebras palpabiles projecta adeò ignorant omnes Christum quae sunt Christi Romes inward and spirituall Egypts was involuntary and lamented darknesse Romes voluntary and affected Egypts penall Romes criminall Egypts but about a three dayes darknesse Romes a lasting if not an everlasting darknesse hence Luthers verdict Italy lyes involved in the palpable fogges of Egyptian darknesse they are all so ignorant of Christ and of the things of Christ Adeo ignorant omnes Christum quae sunt Christi Thirdly cruelty to Israel was the great sin of Egypt setting hard taskmasters over them Exod. 5.7 8. exacting the tale of Bricks when straw denied but Romes cruelty rests not in the estates of men squeezing them as Sponges nor in the bodies of men whipping them with penances and tyring them with pilgrimages but reaches the very soule and conscience the Pope sitting there as Lord and Master dictating lawes ad libitum Par. in Apol. ◠11.8 this soule-bondage is the soarest bondage the rigour of Egypts cruelty was but about two hundred twenty five yeares but Romes is as long as the raigne of the Beast the Antichristian Rebels in Ireland braining young infants ripping up women with child their she-butchers with their long cut-throat knives by their sides putting to the sword so many thousand Protestants in one Province in one moneth are bloody demonstrations of Romes cruelty Fourthly all that Israel contended for with the Egyptians was Religion and Liberties Let us go to