THE HOLY HISTORY. WRITTEN In FRENCH by Nicolas Talon, S. J. And Translated Into ENGLISH by the Marquis of WINCHESTER. LONDON: Printed by Y.W. for J. Crook, and J. Baker, and are to be sold at the Ship in St. Paul's Churchyard. 1653. Representation of a classical doorway to a temple or cathedral, with figure of Moses holding the tables of the Law, and a female figure, representing Wisdom, holding a mirror in her left hand. Round the doorway are four oval plaques of biblical scenes. The Holy History Per Speculum in Aenigmate omnia in figuris Fide Moyses Invisibilem tamquam Videns Sustinuit WHollar LONDON Printed for john Crook & john Baker at the Ship in S ●. Paul's Churchyard. THE AUTHOR'S DEDICATION TO THE KING OF FRANCE. SIR, I Should fear to profane the Holy History, if I did not place it in the Sacred hands of your Majesty. It is the Book of God, which deserves the Eye of a King; It is the Testament of a Father, which cannot be denied the Eldest Son of his House; And it is the Table of all Divine and Human Laws, which ought to appear under the Canopy of a most Just, and most Christian Monarch. I know that heretofore this Magnific pledge was never seen, but on the Altar, and within the Tabernacle: but now I believe I shall not far remove it thence by demanding a place for it in your Majesty's Cabinet, which without Flattery may be termed the Sanctuary of the Lowre and Court. For my part, I would not have been so bold, as to touch these precious Relics of the increated Wisdom, and these illustrious Pourtraicts of so many Princes, to make an offering of them to your Majesty; If I did not persuade myself, that you would rather fix on the Original, than the Copy; And would have less regard to the hand which presents them, than to the passion which renders me Your Majesty's Most humble, most faithful, and most obedient Subject and Servant, NICHOLAS TALON. Table of Chapters. FIRST BOOK. God the Creator. CHAPTER 1. GOds first sally out of himself in the birth of the Universe. CHAPTER 2. The work of the six days. CHAPTER 3. The Creation of Adam. CHAPTER 4. The terrestrial Paradise. CHAPTER 5. The disasters and Banishment of Adam and Eve. CHAPTER 6. The murder of Abel, and despair of Cain. CHAPTER 7. The desolations and spoils of Envy. CHAPTER 8. Remedies against Envy. CHAPTER 9 The building of the Ark, and the Deluge. CHAPTER 10. Noa 's descent out of the Ark, and his Sacrifice on the hills of Armenia. CHAPTER 11. The Rainbow in the Heavens. CHAPTER 12. The unhappy effects of Wine. CHAPTER 13. The Tower of Babel. BOOK SECOND. Ahraham and Isaac. CHAP. 1. Abrahams' departure out of the Territories, and his entry into the fields of Moreth, where he erected an Altar, and where God appeared to him the second time. CHAP. 2. The voyages of Abraham and Sara into the Land of Egypt. CHAP. 3. The agreement of Abraham and Lot, upon the Controversy between their Shepherds. CHAP. 4. The Victories of Abraham, and the assurances God gave him of a most flourishing Posterity. CHAP. 5. The assurances God gave unto Abraham, of a most flourishing Posterity. CHAP. 6 The Continuation of the favours which God conferred on Abraham. CHAP. 7. The Charity of Abraham towards Pilgrims, and the tenderness of God towards him. CHAP. 8. The firing of Sodom, and the deliverance of Lot. CHAP. 9 The birth of Isaac, & the banishment of Lot & Ishmael. CHAP. 10. The Sacrifice of Abraham, and the artifices of God, to try his constancy and fidelity. CHAP. 11. The Masterpiece of obedience, and the triumph of Love in the Sacrifice of Abraham. CHAP. 12. The death of Sara. CHAP. 13. The Marriage of Isaac with Rebecca, and the death of Abraham. BOOK THIRD. Jacob and Esau. CHAP. 1. THeir Birth. CHAP. 2. The Education of Esau and Jacob, and the shameful sale he made of his right of primogeniture. CHAP. 3. The dexterity of Rebecca, to procure for Jacob the blessing of Isaac. CHAP. 4. God's design in preferring Jacob. CHAP. 5. jacob's Ladder. CHAP. 6. The constancy of Jacob in the quest of Rachel. CHAP. 7. The reward Jacob received for his services, and his departure out of Mesopotamia. CHAP. 8. jacob's wrestling with the Angel, and his return into Canaan. BOOK FOURTH. Joseph and his Brethren. CHAP. 1. JOseph sold by his Brethren CHAP. 2. The Combats of Joseph for defence of his Chastity. CHAP. 3. The Predictions of Joseph. CHAP. 4. The releasement of Joseph. CHAP. 5. The government of Joseph in Egypt. CHAP. 6. The voyages of jacob's Children into Egypt, and th● entertainment they there received from Joseph. CHAP. 7. Jacob resolves to send Benjamin into Egypt. CHAP. 8. Joseph known by his Brethren. CHAP. 9 jacob's going down into Egypt, and the honourable entertainment he received there from Pharaoh. CHAP. 10. The last words of Jacob. CHAP. 11. The last Will and Testament of Jacob, containing the Benedictions given to the twelve Patriarches. CHAP. 12. The lamentations of Joseph for the death of Jacob. BOOK FIFT. Moses. CHAP. 1. HIs Birth and Education. CHAP. 2. The zeal of Moses, and his marriage with the Daughter of the Prince of Madian. CHAP. 3. The flaming Bush. CHAP. 4. The Commission of Moses, touching the deliverance of the people of Israel. CHAP. 5. The assured marks of Moses power. CHAP. 6. The Embassy of Moses and Aaron into Egypt. CHAP. 7. The obduration of Pharaoh 's heart. CHAP. 8. The plagues of Egypt. CHAP. 9 The Waters of Egypt turned into blood. CHAP. 10. The Frogs of Egypt. CHAP. 11. The Flies of Egypt. CHAP. 12. The Plague and Ulcers. CHAP. 13. The Hail-storms, Lightnings and Thunders. CHAP. 14. The Grasshoppers of Egypt. CHAP. 15. The Darkness of Egypt. CHAP. 16. The Death of the first born of Egypt. CHAP. 17. The Pascal Lamb, and the departure of the Children of Israel out of Egypt. CHAP. 18. Pharaoh swallowed up in the Red Sea. CHAP. 19 The Canticle of Moses, after the death of Pharaoh. CHAP. 20. The Manna of the Desert. CHAP. 21. The fountain of Horeb. CHAP. 22. The defeat of the Amalekites by the prayers of Moses. CHAP. 23. Moses is visited in the Desert, where he Creates Judges and Magistrates. CHAP. 24. The Sanctification of the people to receive the Law of God upon Mount Sina. CHAP. 25. The promulgation of the Law upon Mount Sina. CHAP. 26. The subversion of Idols. CHAP. 27. An Edict against Blasphemers. CHAP. 28. The Sanctification of the Sabbath. CHAP. 29. The duty of Children toward, their Parent's CHAP. 30. A Sentence of death against Murderers. CHAP. 31. The triumph of Chastity. CHAP. 32. Against the unjust usurpation of other men's goods. CHAP. 33. Condemnation of False witnesses and Liars. CHAP. 34. The Tomb of Concupiscence. CHAP. 35. An abridgement of the Law. CHAP. 36. The Ancient Policy. CHAP. 37. The Adoration of the golden Calf. CHAP. 38. The There-establishment of the Laws and Ceremonies of the old Testament. CHAP. 39 Of the Ornaments, and other utensils ordained for the Sanctuary, which were useful in the Ceremonies of the Law of Moses. CHAP. 40. The Ark of the Old Testament. CHAP. 41. The Tabernacle. CHAP. 42. The Altar of Holocausts. CHAP. 43. The Vestments of the Highpriest. CHAP. 44. The Sacrifices of Aaron consumed by fire from Heaven. CHAP. 45. The Pillar of fire, and the Cloud. CHAP. 46. The Brazen Serpent. CHAP. 47. The last actions of Moses. CHAP. 48. The last Canticle of Moses. CHAP. 49. The death of Moses at the sight of the Holy Land. THE HOLY HISTORY, FIRST TOME GOD THE CREATOR; FIRST BOOK. CHAP. I. God's First Sally out of himself in the Birth of the Universe. THough God was what he is, and in the perfect fruition of his Grandeurs, before his omnipotent hand had drawn the Creatures out of their Nothing; The motives which invited God to create the world. yet his Nature required Hommages, his Majesty Servitudes, his Glory Admirations, his Goodness Acknowledgements, and his Beauty hearts and affections. It was needful, though he were independent of all Being's, Immense in his extent, Eternal in his duration, and Infinite in all his perfections, that he should cause himself to be seen and felt by Emanations out of himself. It was not sufficient, (me thinks) that God should contemplate himself in the Mirror of his Essence, and that without issuing out of himself he should beget his Word in the splendours which flow from his clarity. It was not enough to love himself, and in loving himself to produce without change, loss, or alteration the sacred fire of his Love. All these immanent and infinite productions could not exhaust the Treasures of so fruitful a Nature: For in giving itself, it suffers no detriment, since amidst these sallies and Emanations the Father and the Son in such sort communicate their Nature and perfections, the Father, to the Son, and both to the Holy Ghost, that all three by a Common power can act ad extra or exteriorly, and they needed to employ but one single word to create not only a World, but even Worlds without end. I represent unto myself that Nature sighed even without tongue or voice, The sighs of Nature. before she had a being: Me thinks I hear her silence, and that she saith to God before her Creation; Speak then, O speak (Great God) stretch forth thy arm and cast thy looks out of thyself; issue forth of the Luminous Darkness, which forms thee a day without Night, and a Night more resplendent than the day. Give some little passage to those Ejaculations and flames which from all eternity are enclosed within thy bosom, and which frame therein a Circle of Light and Love. Thou needst but open thy mouth and immediately all Creatures will be obedient to thy commands: The least of thy Irradiations will dissipate the shadows, and open that abyss, in which they are buried. It is true that nothing ought to disturb the peace and repose of thy solitude; It is true thou hast and possessest in thyself all that can ever be. But thou canst bring it to light, and art able without noise and disorder to break that eternal silence which hitherto hath made thee heard but of thyself. In fine thou art a God of Love, and this love would be Captive, if it had not Sallies, and Ejaculations. It was not satisfied to remain in thee by eminence, and as it were in the source of beauty and goodness; but having made its folds within its self by numberless revolutions, Dyonies c. 11. divin. Nom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellat munifestationem Dei per se ipsum. it must descend upon external objects, to attain that effect and property, which is natural to Love (viz.) that amorous ecstasy, that prodigious effusion, and that pompous and magnificent show, which, to speak properly, is the Torch of Love, or rather the Chariot of its triumph. Well then, Creatures, come forth of the Mass in which you lie confused, Heaven, Earth, Sea, Stars, Trees, Fishes, Furnaces of fire, and flames, The first alarm of Nature. vast extents of Air, Clouds, Abysses Precipices, listen to the voice and Command of God, of the Word, and of their Love. O God O Power! O Love! what word? what speech? and what voice? we must proceed in order and pursue the same which God himself hath followed. The word was in God the Father and this word was God, from that beginning which could never begin, the Common Spirit of God animated the Father and the Son: But in fine, this glorious and happy moment, which saw the birth of times and seasons being arrived. The eternal God seeing no Object out of himself, which could deserve his love; and besides this Love being incited by a holy desire of communicating itself, it was requisite to frame a Copy of the Intellectual Original, which was in his Idea, Love the architect of the World. and in his heavenly mind. From that instant the world, then but a lively vacuum, but an universal privation of forms and qualities, was chosen as the blank Table, whereon he resolved to draw the first strokes of his goodness. That Nothing which hath but the bare name men give it; In principio creavit Deus Coelum & Terram. Gen. 1. v. 1. became immediately a fruitful Abyss of Essences, and Nature was engendered out of it by the sole power of the Divinity. First Heaven, Earth, Water, and Darkness appeared in an instant as the Field on which all the effects of a most Amorous and sage Prodigality were to be displayed. Terra autem erat inanis & vacua, & tënebrae crant super saciem abyssi. Gen. 1. v. 2. It was before any other thing that this tenebrous Compound, this confused Medley and this heap of Water and Earth, was the object of him who alone was able to chase away its shadows, and convert its dust into Gold and Crystal. This is the Throne on which the title of Sovereign Monarch and Lawgiver shall be seen ingraved; But what! this Theatre is too obscure to behold therein the birth of the World; we must expect the Aurora and the rays of the day. CHAP. II. The work of the six days. NAture awake, The first day of the Creation. it is time for the World to rise, the Night hath preceded, and twelve hours are as it were already past since Heaven and Earth have been in obscurity. Dixitque Deus fiat tax, & facta est lux. Gen. c. 1. v. 3. Behold the break of day; and those delightful colours, which play upon the waters, are the Companions of that light, which in Palestine hath already opened the doors and windows of the East, and is going to spread itself upon another Hemisphere. Nevertheless to finish this Career, to perfect this course, and to round the whole Globe twelve hours more are required; And then counting from Evening till Morning, and from Morning till Evening, you shall find all the Moment's, which form the first day, a glorious day, a day illustrious for having first received the light, which gives glory and splendour to all days. Et vidit Deus lucem, quod esset bona. Gen. 1. v. 1. God himself made even a stand to be hold these lights, and could not contain himself from praising the attractive charms of this glistering and pompous quality, which is as the life of the eye, and a most lively representation of the spirit. The second day was not less glorious: The second Day. for it was that in which God chose to raise up the Firmament, like a Circle of Brass, Dixit quoque Deus, fial Firmamentum in medio aquarum & dividat aquas ab aquis. Gen. 1. v. 5. or rather like a Globe of Gold and azure which might serve to divide the seven Orbs of the Planets from the empyreal Heaven. Now it was in the midst of the waters, that this admirable work was form, whether they were necessary to temper the rays and orders of the Stars, or that the course and revolutions of a moving body would be more even and free in an Element so pure and so pliable to all sort of Motions; Or finally whether it were for some other reason known only to the incomparable Architect, who caused his power and wisdom equally to shine in the Fabric of the Universe. The next day God descended from Heaven upon Earth, and it was on this day, he marked out bounds, The third Day. and limits to Rivers, Streams, Seas and Torrents; so that the waters retiring some on one side, and some on the other, Congregentur aquae quae sub Coelo sunt, in Deu● unum, & apra●cat arida. Gen. 1. v. 7. just as they were shut up within their banks, Cliffs and Channels, the Earth appeared, and immediately her sides were found pierced with Caverns, and her back loaden with Mountains and Rocks which raised her in a stately manner. Instantly her entrails were filled with Stones and Metals; and whilst those four great portions of the Earth which divide the World, and all the Islands of the Ocean and Seas were Leveled to serve for Empires and possessions of men, The hand of God as just as liberal, did in the bosom of the Earth uphold the Arches of her Prisons and Dungeons, to the end that if the Paradise of Eden was a Garden of delights and pleasures, Hell on the contrary might be an abode of dread, horror and Misery. It was likewise very convenient that as God had mixed Light with Darkness, he should create wild places and deserts to render the Gardens, Fields and Meadows more delightful; and finally having the very same day given Plants, Herbs and Flowers for an ornament to the Earth, his wise Providence mingled Thorns with Roses, and the most wholesome Herbs sprung out of the same soil with the Mandrake and Aconite. The fourth day, The fourth Day. having been as it were the Chariot of the Sun, Fiant luminaria in Virmamento Coeli, & dividant diem ac noctem, & sint in signa, & ten pora, & dies & annos. Gen. 1. v. 14. Moon, Stars and Planets which shine in the Heavens, may in some manner be called the day of days, since it hath been the Origin of the fires brightness and flames which are the soul of the Day. Then were the frozen and condensed waters gathered together with more light and heat to form the Body of the Planets: Et luceant in firmamento Coeli, & illuminent terram. Gen. 1. v. 15. Fecitque Deus dun l●minaria magna, lumanare majus, ut praeesset diei, & lumina●e minus, ut traeesht nocti, & st●llas. v. 16. Next the Sun, Moon and Stars began their courses, periods and revolutions, and took the tracks and ways which were traced out to them from East to West; they began likewise to cast their favourable aspects, and from that time their influences fell upon the Earth, and they received the Orders and Laws, which they have since observed so inviolably and with so great respect. But whilst these Torches roll over our heads, for fear lest our eyes should be dazzled at such luminous objects. Let us turn them upon the Fift day, The ●ift Day. Producant eq●as re●tile animae utventis & volatile super terram sub Firmamento Coel● Gen. 1. v. 25. wherein God created the Birds which fly in the Air, and the Fishes which swim in the Water: One must hear represent unto his thoughts some fair Summer's day, and imagine that he sits in the cool upon the shore of some Island, From thence he must lift up his eyes towards Heaven, and behold over head thousands of little feathered bodies, cleaving the air with their wings, piercing the Clouds, and mingling with their flight the sweet Harmony of their warble; He must afterwards behold at his Feet a River full of Fishes armed with scales, some of which cut their way near the surface of the water, and others through the midst of the waves; some swim aloft against the stream and Current, others are carried down at the pleasure of the winds, and by the favour of so sweet and rapid an Element. This is that which God took pleasure to see and do, five days after the Creation of Heaven and Earth: This was the day he chose to people the Air and Sea with their guests, which were in so great numbers, as since it hath not been necessary to create other species of Birds and Fishes. But what? the Earth which serves for a Basis and foundation unto Sea and Air, would have some cause to murmur against both, and might with reason complain, as it were, of God her Creator, if she were abandoned and without Inhabitants. Soft, a little patience: It belongs not unto Creatures to prescribe laws to their Creator. Scarce had the Morning brought news of the arrival of the sixth day, The sixth Day. Producat terra animam viventem in genere suo: jumenta, & reptilia, & bestias terrae secundum species suas. Gen. 1. v. 24. but at the same instant the Earth opened her eyes unto her Sun, and her ears unto the voice of her God. This dull heavy and insensible Mass not satisfied to have brought forth Flowers Plants and Trees, yet farther displayed itself to produce all sorts of Beasts and Animals, Behold the World in her Cradle, and Nature in her Infancy, The unmoveable Earth round about her Centre is sown with flowers, tapistred with Turf and Verdure's, beautified with Woods and Forests; she is stately in her Mountains, pleasant in her Valleys, delightful in her Meadows; She is rich in her Metals, fertile in her Fruits, and plentiful by her Rivers and Seas which environ her on all parts, and form her a thousand liquid transparences. The Air encompasses her on all fides, and serves her for a veil to temper the over-humid Influences of the Moon, and the too ardent Rays of the Sun. The Heavens like pendent Roofs and rolling Arches are strewed with Flowers, Emeralds and Rubies. Hesiod in the genealogy of false divinity. What doth remain after all these Prodigies of Power, and all these works of Love? O Power? O Love? I cannot condemn his fancy who said that Love produced Heaven out of a Chaos, and the World out of a confused and undigested Lump. These are the draughts of a powerful God which were victorious over the Nothing; These are the conquering flames of his Love who hath carried his rays and Torch even into the Abysses of an eternal Negation. The World then had not its Origination in the Water as Thales supposed, The Errors of some Philosophers. nor was the impression of the Universe framed in the Air as Anaximines affirmed, Heraclitus was extravagant when he taught that fire was the Source and Origin of Nature; And Democritus was a mere scoffer, and fit to be laughed at himself, than to laugh at others, when he said that the World was form by an accidental concourse and mixture of invisible Atoms. No, no, the beginning of beginnings must be without beginning. But the Heavens, Air, Fire, Earth and Water, the World and Atoms cannot be from themselves and without a Producer; therefore grant that God alone is the Fountain Cause and Origin of the Universe. Ah then let the Heavens and all the Elements, C●n●ort of Creatures. Let the Sun and Stars, let the Plants and Herbs, let the Birds and Fishes for evermore praise and bless the powerful hand of the increated Love who form them all out of Nothing. Let the World never have any propension, instinct, or inclination, but to become pliable to the impulses of its Author. Let the Morning and Evening Stars imitate him, conveying every where their Influences and Clarities. Let Rain be the Pledge of his favours, and Dew the Symbol of his Graces. Let Thunder and Lightning be the Heralds of his Justice, and the Ministers of his Indignation. Let the gentle Western Winds awaken our hearts to listen to his most holy inspirations. Let his Threats be heard amongst Storms and Waves. Briefly let the World, and total Nature, be an Altar whereon vows and Sacrifices may be continually offered to his Law, and let the Feast of the six days, during which God created the Universe, be for ever celebrated? But what O Lord? who is it that hath hitherto spoken? From whence came this Voice? And where is the Person that can present Sacrifices unto thee? The World hath Altars, it hath Water, Fire, Wood and Victims, But where is the Priest? Man necessary for the world. There wants a Man upon the Earth, and without a Man all thy works seem not sufficiently perfect. Yes, my God, this man who is to be the Image of thy Essence, the Accomplisher of thy Commands, and thy Lieutenant upon Earth, well deserves the last touches of thy hand, to the end that after his Creation thou mayst continue in the repose of thy most holy Entertainments. CHAP. III. The Creation of Adam. IT is almost incredible how bold and eloquent men are when it concerns their own praises; Eloquence of self love. To hear them speak, would not a man swear, all the Members of their bodies are converted into Tongues to publish, without blushing, the advantages of their Nature above what ever the rest of the World can boast of rarest and most beautiful. The Earth, say they, is but an Abode or rather a Highway which shallbe their Pilgrimage; Excellent conceptions of divers authors. The Air and Sea are but their Harbingers and Hosts; Lightnings and Celestial flames shape but a picture, even gross enough, in which the features of their minds appear as it were rough drawn: And Heaven itself is but the Haven and shore, which after the course of some months and years is to receive them all. Man according to their opinion is the fairest piece of the Universe, the All of All, Anasta. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. and as it were the Soul of this world. Anastasius in his Homily of Man's creation observes some lines of honour and veneration in his Fabric. Clemens Alexandrinus compares him to the Thessalian Centaur by reason of the mixture of the Soul with the Body; Clem. Alex. 116 4. Strom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lactant. lib. 7. cap. 5. And Lactantius Firmianus speaking of the composition of man, saith That he is a work which may rather beget admiration than words. Trismegistus calls him the Interpreter of the Gods; Pythagoras. Pythagoras looks upon him as the Measure of all things, in whom are found the Longitudes, Latitudes, Altitudes and Profundities of all Being's; Plato 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Plato cries out that he is the Miracle of all visible Miracles. Theophrastus considers him as the Copy of the Universe; Synesius. Synesius calls him the Horizon of creatures; And Zoroaster, as one transported, scarce finding words to express him, concludes at last That man is the Portrait of an attempting and daring Spirit. Are not these very excellent terms and expressions? which sufficiently evidence that albeit those Learned Authors did speak of Man in general, yet all of them were interessed therein as to their own particular. But what ever they have said, it is certain that of all the Enconiums can be given to Man, the most Noble, the most August, the most transcendent and high is, that Man is the Image of God, the Character of his Substance, & the most faithful Copy of his Divinity. I know he hath a Being common with Stones and Marble, a Life common with Plants, a Sense with Beasts, and an Understanding which equals him with the Angels, but he excels them in this, that he was created from God's Idea, as the most lively and sensible representation of his Maker. God deliberates upon the enterprise of this work, Faciamus hominem ad imaginem & similitudinem nostram. Gen. 1. v. 16. and the Council is held in the Conclave of the most holy Trinity, the three Persons are assembled; Power, Wisdom, and Love take their seats near the Paradise of Eden. But let us not deceive ourselves, is it not peradventure God's intention to recall into favour those proud and Rebellious Spirits, whom a shameful revolt hath most justly precipitated from Heaven to Earth, where they wander as Exiles and reprobates? At least would it not satisfy him to banish them from Heaven, and to grant them the World for a Paradise, after so long and funestous a Captivity? Nothing less, the Act is past, the Angels are lost without Redemption, and the punishment their Insolence hath merited, will pursue them without relaxation, term, or pity. Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem & similitudinem Dei creavit illum. Gen. 1. v. 27. It is concerning Man & his Creation that the decree is past; It is on him God reflecteth, and it is he who must be substituted in the place of Angels. It is this Act which makes the World behold God's Masterpiece, the object of his Favours and the most glorious term of his Power. O Sun stop here thy course & be witness of his birth who hath been the cause and end of thine. It was as I conceive about high Noon when the Earth was resplendent with Light, The time of man's Creation. that this Animated Sun was born. It was by the Light of Nature's greatest Bonfire that God vouchsafed to stoop so low as Earth to take Clay, Formavit igitur Dominus Deus hominem de limo terrae. Gen. 2. v. 7. out of which he form the Body of the first Man. This wise and all-knowing Workman to whom all things are possible, drew out of Dirt, Mortar, and Dust, the Bones which were to be not only the Pyles, Pillars, Basis and strength of the Body, but even the instruments of all its Motions. He added to it Ligaments, Joints, Carthelages, Nerves, and an infinity of fibres or little strings which were to lock the Bones and Members within one an other, to be serviceable to all motions, to arm every part, to keep in or draw superfluous humours, or rather to be assisting to its Nourishment. The Body being thus rough-drawn, or as I may say, in its first draught, appeared at the same instant divided into three parts, of which the highest and most elevated was the Head, the Bulk appeared in the midst, and the Joints linked together the Legs, and Arms, to become more useful to all the extreme parts. The Oeconomy of humane bodies. Within these joints were, as inchased, all the Instruments of life. Within the Trunk reigned the Vital parts, as the Heart, Lungs, and Liver; about which were found a thousand little Veins, and as many little skins, which are the Channels of the Blood and of all the Humours. O strange! this little Labyrinth was no ways confused. The Heart, though Monarch and Sovereign in this Empire, disdains not to unite its self with the Liver, and to join by a mutual and reciprocal agreement its virtue and heat to act with more force upon the Aliment. From thence issues a world of interlaced Veins, which are to suck in the purest of the Chilus, and to discharge the grosser part, which afterwards conveys it all at leisure into the Bowels; At the same time the Liver will separate the Blood, and divide the Humours; and whilst the Heart is distributing all the Spirits through the Arteries, lest it chance to be overheated, the more light, humid, and spungeous Lungs will give it air, and refresh it by so regular intervals, as even amids this palpitation, it may receive from the Arteries its purest Blood, and its most delicious Nourishment. All the rest passeth into the Brain which is the Summet of this admirable Structure. It is covered outwardly with skin and hair, and wrapped up within two panicles which cover its outlets, its substance, and the source of all the Nerves. It is in this Fort or Dungeon where the Animal spirits are to be form, which the Sensitive soul distributes to the Five senses; spirits which are but fire and ray, which very often get lose, and escape by the eyes like lightnings, and so many stars which appear to us at high Noon. There is the seat of the Common sense, where all the Nerves of our exterior Senses meet, through which the Spirits slide, and is the way by which the Species pass when they are the Messengers of their Objects. Well may this part receive these Images, but cannot retain them. The Imagination than must be placed further within, which collecting & preserving the Species, will borrow part of their name. Behold the Body thus perfect, and accomplished; but not to descry all the bones naked, and a flesh too lively and bloody, cover it with the whitest, smoothest and thinnest skin you can find. Afterwards fix your eyes upon his Face, behold his lovely Hair sweetly floating on his shoulders; contemplate his Forehead smother than Marble, & his Eyebrows forming an Arch of Ebony over his eyes; consider his Mouth surrounded with Coral; observe his Cheeks mixed with Roses, and Lillyes, and smell his Breath a thousand times sweeter than Ambergris. In truth are you not ravished with the aspect of his Eyes, which are the Windows of the Soul, the Doors of Life, and the most faithful Interpreters of our Minds? What say you to the disclosure of this living Theatre of Choler, Theatre of passions. of vengeance, of pity, of hate, of fury, and Love; Do you see by their looks how they rise and fall, how they flatter, how they excite, how they weep, how they smile, and how they show upon their liquid and transparent Crystal, all that is discernible in the World? But who will wonder at this, since in truth these are the two Suns of the Little World, and the Mirror of the Great one, which is to be comprised and enclosed within the Humane Body. Should not the Eyes of total Nature open themselves here to admire this Miraculous Body, The Masterpiece of Nature. and this Prodigy of the Universe? But the thing of greatest Admiration, is that God hath caused the Soul of Hearts, and the Life of Bodies, to flow into his mouth and heart; and that Heaven hath poured the seed of Immortality into his Breast. Et inspiravit in faciem ●●us spiraculum vitae: & factus est humo●● animam viventem. Gen. 2. v. 7. God by a Divine breathing communicated this Fountain of Life, to wit, the Soul, which instantly made the Image and Pattern of the Divinity reflect on his face. This heavenly Form without noise or delay disfused itself entire into the body, remaining nevertheless whole in every part. The Soul source of beauty, and of operations. God alone knows with how many Lights the Understanding of man was illuminated, with how many Ardours his Will was enfired, and with how many Species his Memory was filled in a moment. My God, what dost thou, God's goodness towards men. and who hath incited thee to heap together in one vessel, wrought out of Clay and dust, all the Treasures of Wisdom, greatness, and sanctity? Why so many sciences, so many knowledges, and so many splendours in this Soul? Why so many virtues and so many Graces in this Heart? And why in one single Man the Primitive Justice, and the Empire of the Universe? What necessity was there to make him partaker of thy Secrets, and to raise him to the View of such a light as doubtless might make him blind? Great God thou art good and liberal, yet just and all foreseeing. If then thou foreseest some danger and evil, lest thou shouldst be obliged to take revenge of a fault, dissolve the occasion, and obstruct the ways which lead unto a Precipice; extinguish those Torches which may dazzle the eyes; stifle those Flames which may enkindle such sad fires; or at least fasten not so many branches to a Tree, which may be unrooted by the Winds, and torn up by Storms: Unite not so many Members unto a Head, which is able to corrupt them all in an Instant, and finally leave unto all our heart's Independency on Created things, which are Natural to them, and cause our affections to be Eternally fastened unto thee, that thou alone mayst be the Source of all the Motions and Effects which slide unto them. No, No, Adam and Eve must be the causes of our Good or Evil, and on their good or bad Fortune ours must wholly depend. CHAP. FOUR The Terrestrial Paradise. THe Earth is a large habitation common to all men, Terrestrial Paradise the first habitation of Man. but it hath many copartments of which some are appointed for those whom God intends to raise unto Grandeurs and delights; others are ordained for some wretched Persons, whose lives pass away in misfortunes and amidst afflictions. Some there are who are born upon Thorns and in Straw, others in Purple and upon Silk. Some enter into the World as into a Galley, others as into a Palace. Scarce was Adam created but he found himself in a Paradise; and he even from the Morning of his birth, was placed under the most happy and delightful Climate that Nature did afford. Go then Adam, Plantaverat autem Domin●s Deus Paradisum voluptatis à Principio, in quo posuit hominem quem formaverat. Gen. 2. v. 8. it is God who both calls and conducts thee. Enter happily this Garden and Paradise into which he leads thee; put thyself under the shelter of this Tree: For it is the Tree of Knowledge and Immortality, which he hath planted for thee: divert thy Eyes upon these Tulips, upon these Gillyflowers, upon these Roses, upon these Purple Velvet flowers, and upon these Lillys; walk thou over the 〈◊〉, over the Thyme, over Camomyle, and over this green Tapestry, Dominamini piscibus maris, & volatilibus Coeli, & universis animantibus quae moventur super Terram. Gen. 1. v. 8. Adduxitque ea ad Adam, ut videret quid vocaret ea: omne enim quod vocavit Adam animae viventis ipsum est nomen ejus. Gen. 2. v. 19 which is so odoriferous; be not affrighted at the sight of these Tigers, these Leopards, and of all these more furious Beasts: For God hath given thee power to rule them, and there is not one in whom thy Innocence begets not respect. Take then the rod into thy hand, and govern all these flocks and herds, impose Laws on them, and give them what Names thou pleasest. This is no petty Office. Some have believed that God only can properly call a thing by the name convenient for it: Because Names, as Plato saith, are as it were so many Chariots which carry Essences and living Pictures, as Diaphanus styles them, wherein are seen all the Draughts of Nature which they clearly express: From whence I conclude that Adam for this end received from God more than humane Knowledge, since he called every thing by the Name which was most proper and Natural to them. Immediately after God resolved to give him a Companion, The production of Eve. Non est bonum hom●nem esse solum: faciamus 〈◊〉 adjuterium simile sib●. Gen. 2. v. 18. Immisit ergo Dominus sup●●em in Adam, cumque abd●●m●v●sset, tulit unam de costis ejus, & replevit carnem pro ea. Gen. 2. v. 20. for it was not convenient that Man should be all alone: For this end he closed Adam's Eyelids, and charmed his senses by a Heavenly Sleep, which the Major part of the Greek Fathers, according to the Translation of the Septuagint, call an extatick and ravishing repose. This man then thus rapt in his Ecstasy felt not God's hand, which gently and without pain plucked out a Rib, whereof he form the first Woman, who was immediately brought unto Adam to be his Companion and his dear Moiety. Scarce had Adam cast his Eyes on her but he cried out, Ah, these are Bones of my Bones, Dixitque Adam: hoc nunc os de ossibus mus & caro de ca●ne mea, haeo vocabitur virago, quoniam de virosur●pta est. Gen. 2. v. 23. Erunt duo in carne una. Gen. 2. v. 24. and this Flesh was drawn out of my Flesh; Just as if he had said, Come O my Love, the dearest portion of myself, you shall be from henceforth my Wife, and I will be your Husband. We will be but one Heart in two Bodies; And though we have two Souls we will have at least but one Mind and Will. Wives and Husbands, An excellent lesson for Husbands and Wives. learn then from hence a lesson which teacheth you the Laws of Conjugal Love, and what powerful Motives you have to live in Unity, and in a most perfect and holy Union. Let Man remember that he is the Master, but not a Tyrant. Let Women also never forget their own extraction, and that they were not produced out of the Head as Queens, nor out of the Feet as Servants and Slaves; but out of the Side, and near the Heart, to the intent they may spend all the time of their Marriage in a most sweet Intelligence, and in a most inviolable society: To which Love having given a beginning, nothing but Death alone is able, or at least ought, to Dissolve it. For this purpose it is infinitely advantageous to receive with respect and Reverence the Benediction which the Church is accustomed to give upon the Marriage day unto the Married pair, Benedixitque illis Deus, & ait, ●rescite, & multiplicamint, & replete terram. Gen. 1. v. 45. and which replaceth in our thoughts the very same that God gave to Adam and Eve, when he commanded them to People and fill the World by a most pure and chaste generation. The Nuptials of Adam and Eve are past, Dixitque Deus, ecce dedi vovis omnem herbam asserentem semen super terram, & universa ligna quae habent in se●et●psis sementem generis sui, ut sint vobis in escam. Gen. 1. v. 29. Praecepitque ei dicens: ex omni ligno Paradisi comede. Gen. 2. v. 16. nothing now remains but the Banquet. The Tables are already furnished, and they need but choose amongst all the Dishes of the World, that which shall appear to them the most Delicious. They are Masters of all that Flies in the Air, of all that Swims in the Water, of all that Creeps or Walks on the Earth; Briefly of all the Fruits in the Terrestrial Paradise they have the choice; and amongst all the Trees which God hath Planted there, he only reserved the use of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, De ligno autem scientiae boni & mali ne c●medas: in quocunque enim die comederis ex eo, morte morieris. Gen. 2. v. 17. of which he Expressly and upon pain of Death forbids these two guests to gather any Fruit. And in truth it was convenient that as Master he should leave them some Commandment: It was likewise reasonable that Adam and Eve as his Servants and Creatures should be pliable to so just a Decree. In this Conjuncture of time the Moon began to assemble her shadows, and God finding all his Works perfect entered into his repose with the Seaventh Day. Adam and Eve enjoy then at present, The first Monarchy of the Universe. all that their Hearts can desire. They possess the Monarchy of the Universe for their Inheritance and Government: Their Empire extends over all out-bounds and limits, the Winds do not blow but at their pleasure, the Rivers and Streams do not Rowl along but at their Command; Praesit piscibus mari● & volantibus Coeli universaeque terrae omnique rep●ili quod movetur in terra. Gen. 1. v. 16. the Birds do not tune their Warbling Notes but to afford them delight; the Lions themselves and the Leopards dare not roar in their presence; All is in Peace, all in Joy, and all in a pleasing silence devoid of Fear and Apprehension. Their Bodies are neither subject to Weariness nor the Butchery of any tormenting Maladies. Their Paradise knows neither Anxiety, grief, nor pain. In that place no sound was ever heard of those frightful terms whose thought alone is able to raise strange Commotions in our Hearts. The mind cannot there be diverted by those sad thoughts which are inventive to bring us Torment. In a word, they are as it were the Gods of the Terrestrial Paradise, and partake in a manner of all the delights which can be tasted in Heaven. CHAP. V The Disasters and Banishment of Adam and Eve. ADam and Eve are happy, but how long will this happiness endure? Doth Adam remember that he is a Man, and a Man of Earth? Doth Eve well understand that her Sex is more Light, more frail, and less constant? Adam art thou Ignorant that nothing is more flattering, and more cunning than a woman, when her mind is excited by some passion? Audax est ad omnia quaecunque odit vel amat famina; et artificiosa est, nocere cum vult. Valerius in Epist. ad Rufum. Cum invisa est mulier, se od●sse ait, Cum amat, amari, cum suratur, se compilari queritur. Nicephor. Gregorius. Just. l. 7. One must will what she wils, and even the force and reason of the wisest men are often obliged to give way unto her. Beware then Adam of this Woman; for my own part I imagine to have in a manner seen her behind a Tree, and to my thinking I have heard her speak unto a serpent. Behold how she comes wholly affrighted? Adam advance, and observe a little what ails her: And if thou desirest to know the truth, believe the contrary of what she shall tell thee. Eve from whence dost thou come, Disunion the first misfortune of the World. and why dost thou leave him all alone, who is the heart of thy heart, and the soul of thy soul? Where can be the Members without the Head, and the Head without the Members? What? dost thou not know, that I am to be witness of all thy Actions, and that I must give an account unto God, for what thou shalt do? what fruit is this, that thou hold'st in thy hand? Ah my Son, Sed et serpens erat callidior. Gen. 3. v. 1. my Friend, my dear Husband, would you did but know what hath happened since I was absent from you? Not far from hence I met a Serpent of a Prodigious and extraordinary shape, A diabolical serpent. he also spoke to me, contrary to the use of Beasts. For my part I did believe that he was a Prodigy of Heaven, Cui respondit mulier, de fructu lignorum quae sucrunt in Puradiso ves●imur. Gen. 3. v. 2. De fructu vero ligni quod est in Medio Paradisi, praecepit nobis Deus ne comedemus, et ne tangeremus illud, ne f●rte moriemur. Gen. v. 3. Dixit autem serpens ad mulierem, nequaquam marte moriemini. Gen. v. 3. c. 4. Scit enim Deus quod in quocunque die comederitis de eo aperientur oculi vestri, et eritu sicut dis scientes bonum et malum. Gen. 1. v. 5. Vidit igitur mulier quod bonum esset lignum ad vescendum, et pulcrum oculis aspectuque delectabile, tulit de fructu illius et comedit. Gen. 3. v. 4. and an Angel which God sent me under the form of a Serpent. He shown me the Tree of life, and promised me, that if I would eat of its fruit, I should become like unto God, and have a perfect knowledge of Good and Evil; I told him, that God had forbid it us upon pain of death; But he protested to me, that on the contrary this fruit had the Juice of Life and Immortality: For my part I have gathered it, I have eaten of it, and I entreat you to taste as little of it as you please. O God how eloquent is the malice of a woman, and what powerful charms and persuasions hath she? Her lips and Mouth distil at once both Honey & Poison; her Tongue shoots forth Arrows of Death, and Life; her very Looks are so many Lightnings, which she mingleth with the darts of her Passions. This is that which destroyed the Angel of the Terrestrial Paradise, the Monarch of the World, and the Father of all Mankind. He chose rather to disobey God, than contradict his Wife. He resolved to be rather a complice in her Disloyalty, Deditque viro suo et comedit. Gen. 3. v. 6. Et aperti sunt oculi amborum, cumque cognovissent se esse nudos consuerunt folia ficus et fecerunt sibi perizomata. Gen. 3. v. 7. Abscondit se Adam et uxor eius à facie Domini Dei. Gen. 3. v. 6. than to take revenge of it. It was from his own Wife's hand he took this fatal Apple, which would choke his Posterity. O wretch! what hast thou done? open a little thine Eyes, and blush rather at the sight of this Crime, than of thy Nakedness? Adam what hast thou done; why dost thou hid thyself? Hast thou swallowed down that bit which hath since infected all of us? Proud man! thou thoughtst to be free, but thou now bearest the shackles of an eternal captivity. Thy weakness could not deny that to thy wife, which God had reserved to himself; And thou hast done for the love of a foolish Woman, what the Eternal Wisdom had so expressly forbidden thee. Blind and disloyal Man, thou gavest more credit to a Serpent which deceived thee, than to God and truth which can never fail; Art thou not ashamed to have committed this Sacrilege, which made thee submit to the allurements of a Woman against the Decree which God himself hath published. Adam where art thou? God calls thee, Vocavitque Dominus Deus Ad met dixit ei ubies, G. n. 3. v. 5. thou must Answer, thou must appear; in vain is it to seek out shades and groves; to oppose the Word who gives speech to the Dum, and those Eels whose least glances make the day to break in the darkest dungeons and greatest obscurities. Adam behold this lightning which tears the clouds, and is about to imprint upon thy Spirit the difference between Grace and Sin: thou shalt discern what thou now art, and what thou wert before, and all the future disasters which are to fall on thyself, and thy Posterity. I was heretofore thy Father, now I am thy Judge; I treated thee as my Son, and at present I cannot look upon thee but as a Slave and Fugitive. And my Spirit that chaste Dove, and that sacred Phoenix, which lives and breathes only by Love, must transform its self into a cruel Vulture to tear thy heart. Adam, what answerest thou? Alas, hast thou no pity on thyself, and all thy Children. But dost thou not happily lay the blame upon thy Wife, who hath so cruelly deceived thee? Womam dost thou see the periods and progress of thy sin? Dost thou discern the offence thou hast committed, and the effect of thy Levity? Dost thou hear thy Husband who accuses thee? And on whom wilt thou discharge thyself? It is a strange thing that Sinners instead of sobs and tears, Blind Sinners. to wash away the stains which their Souls have Contracted, still seek out new precipices, into which they feel themselves as it were carried by their own Blindness. Adam lays the fault on his Wife, Dixitque Adam, mulier quam dedisti mihi sociam, dedit mihi de ligno & comedi. Gen. 3. v. 12. Et dixit Dominus Deus ad mulierem: quare hoc fecisti? quae respondit, serpens decepit me et comedi. Gen. 3. v. 13. August. lib. 11. add lit. c. 3. Gregor. lib. Mor. c. 23. v. 16. the Woman accuseth the Serpent, and instead of accusing themselves, to sweeten the Indignation of the Judge, they make excuses to enkindle his Wrath, and to render themselves unworthy of Pardon. Ah! how far more prudently had both of them done (cried out St. Austin) if with bended Knees on the ground, with tears in their Eyes, with sighs from their Hearts, and confession from their Mouths, they had said unto God, Lord take pity on us, and upon all our poor Children? It was for this (saith St. Gregory) God called them, and his voice as it were solicited them to humble them by the amorous accents of his paternal Clemency. But alas, they are wholly insensible, they cannot acknowledge their offence, wherefore no Clemency, no Pardon. Go then Serpent accursed of God, Et ait Dominus Deus ad serpentem quia fecisti hoc, Meledictus es in●er omnia Animali●, et bestias terrae: super pectus tuum gradteris, et terram comedes, cunct●s dicbus vitae tuae. Gen. 3. v. 14. ●●imicitias penam inter te et mulierem, et semen tuum, et semen illius, ipsa conteret caput tuum, et tu insidiaberis calcaneo ej●s. Gen. 3. v. 15. go creep upon the Earth, and with Shame trail thy body and thy Scales, biting the Earth with thy Teeth. It is thou that hast unhappily seduced the first of Womankind, and therefore War shallbe eternally enkindled between Thee and the Woman. There shallbe immortal hatreds between the Children of Women and all Serpents, The Woman shall crush Thee under her feet, and Thou shalt set snares for her, wheting thy Tongue and thy poisonous shafts to dart them at her by means of thy Little and scarce discerned paths. As for thee O Woman, Mulieri ●uoque dixit, mutiplicabo erumaas tuas et conceptus tuos: in dolore paries filios, et sub viri potestate eris, et ipse dominahitur tibi. Gen. 3. v. 16. who wert the Origin and source of Evil, know that thy miseries shall daily find deplorable increases: Moreover thou shalt conceive with pain, and shalt not bring forth thy fruit but amidest the throws of a painful Labour. In fine, thou shall be under the Command of Man: And he shall be not only thy Master, but sometimes thy Tyrant. As for thee, O Man! remove far from this sacred abode: Adae vero dixit, quia audisti vocem uxoris tuae et comedisti de ligno ex quo praeceperam tibi, ne comederes, maledicta terra in opere tuo: in laboribus commedes ex ea cunctis diebus vitae tuae. Gen. 3. v. 17. Spinos & tribulos germinabit tini, et comedes herbam terrae. Gen, 3. v. 18. go seek thy Bread at the price of thy Sweat and blood; go follow the Blow and Cart, to be the Companion of Beasts, and to Cultivate the Earth, which thy pride hath swollen up with winds, and covered with Thorns, Brambles, and Briers. Go whether thou pleasest: but know that thy life shall be but a large course of misfortunes, and a disastrous list, where thou must continually wrestle with all Creatures, and be the fatal Mark of all sorts of accidents and mis-haps, which in fine will give thee no repose till thou shalt return into the Bosom of the Earth, In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane, donec revertaris in terram de qua sumptus es. Gen. 3. v. 19 because thou art but Earth, Ashes, and Dust, and until thou shalt be there consumed and reduced unto the self same thing of which thy Body is form. Behold thy Lillyes, Ejecitque Adam et collocavit ante Paradisum voluptatis Cherubin et stammeum gladium, atque versatilem ad costodiendam v●am ligni vitae. Gen. 3. v. 24. thy Roses, and the harvest of thy Posterity. Scarce were these destroying Thunderbolts darted upon the head of Adam and Eve, and consequently on all mankind, but an Angel environed with fire and Flames, seized on the gate of Paradise, and shut it for ever against these miserable and Exiled persons. Alas! why would not the Earth have rather swallowed them up? and why would not that beautiful garden, which had been the Throne of their Innocence, become at least the Sepulchre of their Sin? What! was it necessary, that the four great Rivers, which flowed out of the Terrestrial Paradise to water the Earth, should serve to transport from East to West, A dolesfull inheritance and from North to South, the memory of this disaster, and the shameful portions of so sad an inheritance. But what! I hear some Pelagian, who laughs, and gently whispers in mine Ear, that I relate fables and Romances. I likewise feel my heart demanding of me how and for what reason it came to pass that the sin of our first Parents should become Hereditary, and that it should be, as it were, transmitted from branch to branch, and from father to son, by veins and Channels of blood, Aug. lib. 1. Reb. cap. 9 et all by which nature hath cut and broken in every Individual person. Pelagians, I send you back to your Master, and to the school of that incomparable Doctor, who hath so often shown you the truth. To thee my heart I will make answer, or rather for solution of thy doubts, ask of thee, whence doth it arise, Very clear companso●s. that the birds of the day inherit from their Fathers and Mothers certain Horrors, which make them fly at the least note of the birds of Night? Whence comes it, that the skins of Sheep, though dead, break in pieces at the approach of the skins of Wolves? and that Lambs, scarce come out of the Yeows belly, have nevertheless natural apprehensions of the Wolf? My soul! hast thou not seen Chickens hiding themselves under the wings of a Hen at the mere shadow of a Kite? Partridges flying before Hawks, and even Lions roaring at the sight of a Cock? I ask of thee: From whence proceeds this fear, these affrightments, and Antipathies? If thou tellest me they are Natural, and have been as it were infused by Nature, even from the first to the last of each kind; I likewise answer, that this Original stain of culpable Nature is derived from father to son, and from the first man to all his offspring, and so it comes to be imprinted in the substance of their Souls. And if thou hast a desire to pass further, and know the reason, I am content: stand then upon thy guard, my Soul; for I intent to fight thee with thy own Weapons. Is it not true, that when by thy desires thou kindlest fires and infamous flames in thine Eyes, thou art the cause of this Burning, and that it is thyself, who renders them Criminal? Is it not as true, that when thou armest thy Hands to commit a Murder, and thy Tongue to detract and by't like a Dog, or to vomit forth some Blasphemy, it is thou that makest both thy Hand and Tongue culpable; which are thy Members, thy Officers, thy Slaves, and Executioners, which act, perform, and execute what thou hast commanded them? In like manner Adam having been chosen by God for the Head, and Father of all mankind; Original sin his Heart was the Fountain, which should pour out its qualities into the substance of their Souls: even as doth the Head, and Heart, into the arms, into the tongue, and into all the Members of the Body, Moreover the Will of Adam was so straight united to that of his Children; as when he acted, they seconded all his Actions. From whence I conclude, that as Actual sins committed by the Ears, Eyes, and Hands, take their Malignity from the Heart, and Will, which is their Cause, and Origin; so likewise those sins, which are commonly called Original, The first Contagion. and are found in the Soul of all Mankind, have as it were crept in, and taken their Descent from Adam, as their Author and beginner, which having been once infected, hath afterward made its venom pass from Father to Son as by Hereditary right. Poor Children of Adam, pitiful Relics of an unfortunate Father, behold your Patrimony, the Rights of your Families, and what Adam and Eve have left you for Legacies. Let no Man hereafter be astonished to see you wand'ring about Countries, Pitiful Relics of Sin and going from door to door in Cities, with Tears in your Eyes, Sighs in your Mouths, with dusty Hair, and Sunburnt Faces; Let no Man be any more astonished to see you go bareheaded, and , a Wallet on your Shoulders, and a Staff in your Hand; for these are the portions of Sin. Miserable Mortals, the Earth from henceforth shall be to you but a Dark Prison, Life but a Galley, and the World but a great Chain of Misfortunes. The Elements shall join in Arms against you. The Fire shall enkindle frightful Comets over your Heads; The Air shall dart forth merciless Thunderbolts upon your Houses; The Sea shall raise its Billows against your Towers, and the Earth shallbe the Theatre of Wars, the Meadow in which the Plague shall Mow, and the Field of Battle, where all the powers of the World, and Hell itself, shall deliver you up to Tragic Combats. In fine your Bodies shallbe Subject to all sorts of Maladies, and your Minds to all kinds of Passions. I hear already Envy grumbling and murmuring in the Heart of Cain. I hear the cry of Abel. Let us observe a while what passeth. CHAP. VI The Murder of Abel, and the Despair of Cain. Anciently in Temples, Houses, and Closets, Concil. 6. in Trullo. Can. 32. the Images of Jesus Christ were drawn in form of a Lamb; which was the most lively Mark, and Symbol, that Painters could find out to frame some Copy of Meekness. Abel was this Picture from his Birth, and shown from the beginning so sweet and facile, so pliant and tractable a disposition, as Adam and Eve were even enforced to bestow on him their most tender affections. Cain on the contrary, who was his Elder Brother, Diversity of Natures. appeared to be of so fierce, and imperious a Nature, that at length to sweeten it, they resolved to oblige him to cultivate the Earth, that his spirit might learn how to soften the hardest of Elements, and to temper the harshness of his Courage. Abel at the same time employed himself in keeping Sheep, Fuitque Abel pastor ovium, & Cain agricola. Gen. 4. v. 2. and guiding his Father's Flocks amidst the Pastures: His mind in repose, and amidst the silence of the Fields, began to take its flight; And as God had chosen his Heart to pour into it his dearest favours, he easily felt himself surprised with a Holy thought and a Sacred desire; which was elevated to God, to offer unto him the purest and choicest Sacrifices. Cain also felt some touch of Piety, Factum est autem post multos d●es, ut offerret Cain de fructibu● terrae, munera Domino. Gen. 4 v. 3. Abel quoque obtulit de primogenitis gregis sui, & de adipib●s corum. Gen. 4. v. 4. and but passingly beheld, a glorious Light, which sufficiently shown him all he was to do: from whence I gather by the way, That there is no Climate so barbarous no Land so desert, nor no Cave so tenebrous, into which God casts not his Shafts, and darts not his Lights to illuminate our Hearts and Souls. But it often comes to pass, that we shut the Doors and Windows, suffering our Day and Life to slip away, to expect Death and Blindness in the Night. Abel received the Day from its Aurora, and neither the Interests of the World, nor the Goods of the Earth, were ever able to separate his Soul from the Interests of Heaven and Piety. His Intentions were still most pure, and he had no other Object, than the Glory of a God, who requires the whole and not a single part; who demands Hearts, and not bare Words; and who cannot permit upon his Altars, but the fairest and most liberal Victims of Love. Now this is what our innocent Shepherd did, when he rendered his Sacrifice most perfect, offering unto God, what he had most beautiful, most fat, and rare among his Flocks: having first set apart the First Fruits, and afterwards Immolated them with the rarest Lights of his Understanding, and the purest Flames of his Will. Cain on the other side erects Altars, Very different Sacrifices. Rupert. lib. 4. in Gen. c. 2. Cain cum De● of seriet sua, scipsum sibi retinet. and offers Fruits: But in offering his Presents (saith Rupertus) he retains Himself; And his Earthy Soul was so violently transported with terrestrial affections, as he gave nothing unto God, but by constraint, and with regret. This was the cause, Et res●e●it Dominus ad Abel & mun●ra ●sus. Gen. 4. c. 4. why God cast his Eyes upon Abel, and his oblation: That is to say as Saint Hierom notes, God approved it, and in the twinkling of an Eye, as with an amorous lightning, consummated the Sacrifice, which was offered to him; Ad Cain vero & munera illius non respexit: Iratusque est Cain vehementer, Et concidit vultus ejus. Gen. 4. v. 5. leaving cain's Fruits, and offerings, dry and aride upon the Altar. The which so violently disturbed the mind of this Impious Sacrificer, as it immediately enforced a change in his countenance, as not being Master in the Trade he learned of betraying by his Mouth and Eyes, his sincerest thoughts. God then said unto him, Dixit D●minus ad eum: Quare iratus ●s, & cur concidit facies tua? Gen. 4. v. 6. Cain, what doth transport thee? what Excess of Anger appears on thy Brow? And whence comes it, that thy Countenance is thus dejected? It is a token doubtless, that thou art meditating on some tragic Design: But return into thyself, raise a little thy Eyes, and read in me, what may and must befall to thee. Remember Cain, that I have upon my Heart, and in mine Eyes, a great Mirror of Essences, which bears for device these terms of Justice, Just toward all. The Device of the Mirror, Omibus aequus. Nun si bene egeris, recipies? sin autem malè, statim in foribus peccatum aderit. Gin. 4. v. 7 If then thou feelest some Storm, and touches of Fury in thy Soul, thou wilt discern them in this Glass. And if thou enjoyest therein Tranquillity, Peace, and Meekness, thou wilt acknowledge that I have no more Justice for thy Brother, than thyself. Besides what ever thou dost, doubt not but I understand all that thou wilt act: for Sin speaks in silence: And its shadows though thick are not obscure enough to extinguish the Day and Lightnings of my Vengeance. Sub te erit appetitus tuus & dominabitur illius. Nevertheless though I am both God, and a most powerful God, yet will I not enforce thy Liberty. O Liberty, Liberty, cruel Liberty, Dangerous Liberty. pernicious Indulgence, tyrannical Power, disloyal , proud Will, blind Mistress of all our Motions! Cain, on what thinkest thou? Answer me, I prithee, thou canst what thou willest, but if thou wilt have thy Liberty entire, thou must desire what God desireth, and thy desire ought to be conformable to thy power, and then thy power willbe consonant to those of thy God. Why then art thou deaf to the words of God, why art thou blind to his Lights, art thou in Despair? God calls him, but he flies away, his Parents are willing to detain him at Home, and he enforceth his Brother to follow him into the Fields; As if the presence of the Elements (as St. Ambrose saith) were a terror to this wicked man, he seeks out desolate places, Dixitque Cain ad Abel Fratrem suum: Egrediamur for as, cumque essent in agro, consurrexit adversus Fratrem suum Abel, & inter secit eum. Gen. 4. v. 5. and where Air and Earth appear not, but amidst the shades, and by halfs. This untamed Horse runs on without Bit, or Bridle, and drags along his younger Brother with him. In fine, as soon as he perceives himself in a Solitary place, he casts himself upon Abel like an enraged Wolf upon a Lamb, and as a Vulture, seizing on his prey. Cain what dost thou? It is thy Brother, it is Abel, it is thy other self, it is the second support of thy Parents, and of thy Family. Cain, even Pity, Blood, Nature, and the Laws, thunder already over thy head; Alas! stay thy hand, and the revenging Thunderbolt of the Just and powerful God, which is ready to cleave the Clouds. It is too late, The murdering of Abel. the stroke is already given: Abel is dead. I see nothing but a Body stretched out upon the Earth, which swims in his own. Tears and Blood: Behold the Waves of his Blood which mount to Heaven, and even unto God himself, who is ready to mingle his Lightnings, Thunder, and Voice, with this Storm. Cain where is Abel? Et ait Dominus ad Cain, Ubi est Abel Frater tuus? Qutrespondit, nescio: nam custos Fratris mei sum ego: Gen. 4. v. 9 where is thy Brother? where hast thou put him? what hast thou done with him? Oh what Answers Cain, Am I my Brother's Guardian? hast thou given me him in charge? I know not where he is. Ah! thou brazenfaced Creature. Observe, I beseech you, how vices spring from one another; and how they frame a long Web of Miscries, which heap shadows upon shadows, until they have at last lead us into a Precipice, and into the Eternal obscurity of the Tomb, and of the dismal Night. Cain hath not washed his hands since the Murder of his Brother; he still keeps the Knife in his Throat, and he could not wipe away the stains, and Drops of this Innocent Blood: Execrable impudence. and yet this Homicide denies his Crime, and this Murderer attests an abominable Lie to his Assassination. Good God what boldness? what insolence? what temerity? Cain art thou not ashamed to disavow this prodigious Inhumanity, these Brutish Furies, and the Massacer on which thy Eyes are still fixed? Perjured Man as thou art, thou sayest, thou knowest not what is asked of thee, thou seemest amazed, and thou art even ready to cry Murder first, and to call for help. But thy Brother's Blood speaks louder than thyself; that Blood more pure, and innocent than Milk, is become blacker than Ink, to write and mark out thy offence in Characters which will never be effaced. The Earth itself calls incessantly on God's justice, Quid secisti? vox sanguinis fratris tui ad me clamat de tora. Gen. 4.2.10. and thy Brother's blood seems to have given it a soul, a sense, and voice, to excite, complain, and provoke his Indignation. Detestable Cain, insolent Hypocrite, execrable Liar, Envious Brother, most cruel Executioner, thou sayest, that Abel was not under thy tuition, and that thou never tookest charge of him. Oh! Art not thou his Elder Brother? But I hear thee, yet thou hearest not me. It is thy sin, which casts a veil over thy face; And it is the shadow of this dead body, which dazzles thine Eyes, and is the Cause thou canst not discern it. What e'er it be, the Earth hath spoken too efficaciously, its demands and accusations are too Just, and a man is obliged to give Credit to Blood and Nature, when they freely condemn themselves. There needs then no further proof, no other accusers, or witnesses: But nothing now remains saving the decree and sentence of the Judge. Hear then unnatural Brethren, hear, and, A dreadful sentence as many as you are, become wise at the Cost of Cain. Let Execration, Anathema, Nunc igitur maledictus eris super terram, quae aperuit os suum, et suscepit sanguinem, sratris tuide manu tui. Gen. 5. v. 11. Vagus et profugus eris super terram. Gen. 4. v. 12. and Eternal Malediction, saith God, fall on the infamous Head of Cain. Let him be accursed upon Earth, and let all disasters pour down on the labours of his hands; and to the end his sight, and presence, may not infect, nor corrupt his father's House, he shallbe a fugitive, vagabond, and wanderer upon the Earth. At this stroke the Heart of Cain becomes a little sensible, and the hardness of his Soul, although too late, begins to soften. Dixitque Cain ad Dominum, Major est iinquitas mea, quam ut veniam mercar. Gen. 4. v. 12. Alas Lord! (saith he) my Iniquity is greater than thy Mercies: and my sin is too enormous to hope for Pardon. I confess it, and from this very moment I depart from hence like a banished man to wander day by day without peace or relaxation, where the Sun, and Moon, spread their light and clarities. Besides, my Brother's Ghost pursues, and torments me, with too much severity: Ecce ejicis me: Hodie à facie tua abscondar, et ero ●agus, et profugus in terra: Omnis qui invenerit me occidet me. Gen. 4. v. 14. Even thyself, O my God, and my Judge, chastest me away far from thy Countenance, and far from the pleasing glances which issue from thine Eyes. Ah then let the Sun, and Moon, cease to enlighten the World, and let me for ever wander amidst the Murderous shades of Abel, Stings of conscience and let my life pine away in obscurity: Otherwise I fear (saith he) that at the first sight, and encounter, some one may kill, and treat me according to my deserts. No no, Dixitgue ei Dominus, Nequaquam ita fiet, sed omnis qui occiderit Cain, septuplum punietur, Posu●tque Dominus Cain signuum, ut non interficeret eum omnes qui invenisset cum. Gen. 4. v. 15. Cain, saith God, nothing of what thou fearest shall happen to thee; and if any one be so rash to attempt on thee, I will make him feel the excess of my wrath, and his punishment shall pass even to the utmost extremity my vengeance can extend. For this effect God imprinted a sensible mark upon his forehead, which served him for a safeguard against all the Assaults of his Enemies. This done, the poor wretch went away of his Enemies. The disquiets and the banishment of Cain. This done, the poor wretch went away all alone, pale, trembling, pursued by the stings of his Soul: and after some wander arrived in the Land of Eden, lying Eastward. It was under this Climate, and near unto Mount Libanus, that this Fugitive at last made his retreat: there it was, where he built a City, and had by his Wife a very numerous posterity. CHAP. VII. The Desolations and Spoils of Envy. Imagine, that it is from this first Colony, and this unfortunate Marriage, that Provinces, Cities, and Villages, are since peopled with so many Brothers and Sisters, who have been the lively Images of Cain; I mean, with so many unnatural Men and Women, who without respect or compassion towards their own Blood, have violated the purest, and most holy Laws of Nature. Blood raiseth every where storms against itself, and the Members of the Body, and all the Powers of the Soul, seem only united to wage War against themselves at a nearer distance. Republics complain, Families and Races sigh, all Countries lament, and there is no House nor little Cottage, that shows not the Prints and Footsteps of this poison, which hath seized the Hearts of all Brothers and Sisters. Cain hath so far extended his Race, that he hath every where Associates, Followers, and Children; and one would swear, to behold the Cruelties, Outrages, and Treasons, which are daily discovered amongst Brethren, that the Tomb of Abel was the Sepulchre of that Piety and mutual Amity which to all Brothers should be in lieu of Fortresses and impregnable Holds. This abominable Monster of Jealousy, whose Teeth and Breath are putrified, hath exhaled the blackest vapours in the self same Cradles; insomuch as Brothers suck in with their Milk its Plague and Venom. Scarce are they born, Ex relatione Michaelis. Angli ad an. 7. perig. but at the same instant they resemble those Birds of blood and prey, which live in the unfortunate Islands near the North Pole, and devour one another even in their Nests. These Envious and Jealous Spirits, these Angels of Night and Darkness, carry continually in their hands glasses of a thousand Faces, and coloured, with as many passions, which cause fire to be taken for smoke, black for white, and all beauties for deformities or deceits. I know not by what name to call these incarnate Devils, these Jealous Souls, and these Heirs of Cain. I know very well, that there are such every where: They are seen at Balls, at Feasts, and Comedies. They insinuate themselves into designs, Councils, and the most secret Assemblies They have the Key of Closets, and private Houses, and cause themselves to be seen in Public, and felt in Secret. They resort the Rendezvous of pleasure, they delight in Circuits, and are every where without abandoning themselves. In fine, In vitis Patrum A●uch. that which is less credible, and which for my part I would not have believed, if a most Holy and learned Anchorite had not said it above seven hundred years ago, that this invisible Murderer, this impious Cain, and this Jealous Spirit, is so presumptuous, as to pass even into the Precinct of the World's Paradise, and of Religion: There it carties its Torch and Firebrand to the very foot of the Altar, It enters even into the Sanctuary, and poureth out into the same Chalice the Blood of Jesus Christ, and of his Brother. This Deicide, this Assasin, and this Anthropophagus, eats the Body of the Son of God with the Flesh of Men, and that Table which serves for the repast of the one, serves also for the Feast of the other; from whence it ascends into Pulpits, it passeth through Tribunals, and in the midst of all the Sacrifices it bursts, it fumes, it inrageth, it detests, it waxes pale, it resolves to make a thousand factions unworthy of a generous spirit, it makes secret Conspiracies, it springs Mines, it provides Dungeous, it besiegeth Hearts, it sells the friendships of some, it purchaseth the protection and favour of others, it renders itself a Slave and Mercenary to this or that Man to be the Tyrant and Master of an other. Finally in all places and times, when it perceives itself the strongest, and amongst those who have either given or sold themselves to its Service, this Sacrilegious Soul, this future Apostata, this Traitor, this Envious and wicked Monster, Jealous of his Brother's Life and Happiness, not being able to strangle them, nor put a Halter about their Necks, or a Poniard into their Bosoms, casts every where the Darts of its Tongue, and sends forth words a thousand times more cruel, and pernicious, than the murdering Knife, which Cain plunged into the throat and Heart of Abel. CHAP. VIII. Remedies against Envy. BUt what! will any remedy serve for all these frantics, and all these Cyclops, whose Hearts are ever-flaming Furnaces, and where Jealousy continually forgeth Chains and Irons? O God O Heaven! O Laws! Justice, Sanctity, Sovereign Powers of the World! Physicians to our Maladies! Arbitrators of our lives! It is you whose sweetly rigorous hands can both ordain, remedy, and give health; It is you then I implore, and of whom I crave assistance. It is you Fathers and Mothers, who in your Houses ought to be Judges of all the differences, which arise between your Sons and Daughters, and first of all you ought to know the natural disposition of your Children, to the end that if some Cain be found amongst them you may timely suppress him. Spare then neither Fire nor Steel, Hunger nor Thirst, Disdains nor Rebukes, seek out even Domestic Prisons; It is much better for them to feel the Essays of your. Paternal rigours, than to fall afterwards into the blind hands of Justice. And it is far more gentle, that you yourselves upon the first Symptoms of Evil, should take the pains to apply a Costick to them, or give them a stroke with your Lancet, than after too much remissness to see them take a sharp Razor cutting in pieces the Heart and all the Members of your other Children. Do not say, that he is beautiful, he is tender, he is the Eldest, or Youngest Son, for after all, though he be your Son, the rest are likewise yours, and you cannot be a Father, if you are not a Judge common to them all. As for those visible Angels, which God hath placed in Sacred Mansions, like the Cherubin of the Terrestrial Paradise, there to Watch and Govern, It is enough for them to know where the Evil is, that they forthwith apply some Remedy. I pass then farther, and speaking both in general, and in particular to all the Heirs of Cain, and to all those whom a Bloody Jealousy armeth against their Brethren, or against their Sisters. I conjure them frequently to meditate on this verity, that the mischief they do unto others can afford them no benefit, and that when they raise designs, and Trophies on the Ruin of others, they are but Crowns of Straw and Feathers, where instead of finding Mountains, and Elevations, they meet with Precipices and Abysses, in which they will destroy themselves. In fine, what delights and contentments can an envious Person have, whose Eyes are destroyed by the purest lights, and to whom Acclamations and Songs of Victory are distasteful, and whose Heart Swims always in bitterness, and poison? What Pain! What Torment! And what punishment to resemble a Man accursed of God to walk as a fugitive, and banished person upon Thorns, and Briers? what peace can one have, who makes War against God, his Friends, and himself; and when both Night and Day he is seen amongst his Brother's Ghosts, amongst Spectres, and Phantasms, amongst the Stings and Remorces of a guilty Conscience? what hope of good? when one is assured, that after the having passed away some Months, some Days, or rather some Years in the City of Enoch, and amidst some slight Clarities of the East, he shall go end his life in a Bed, leave his Body in a Sepulchre, and lose all the pleasures, all the Blessings, and all the lights of his Soul, in the shades of Night, and of the setting Sun, where no Day shall be seen, but amidst the Lightnings, Flames, and Thunders, of a God provoked to an holy indignation. CHAP. IX. The Building of the Ark, and the Deluge. ITt is a Maxim amongst Philosophers, that Beauty is to Love, what the Soul is to the Body; and it is she saith St. Denys, that gives wings to the inconstant, subtle, and penetrating Bird, which passeth by the Eyes, Ears, and Mouth, to advance directly to the Heart, to make, like an other Phoenix, a Pyle upon the flames and fires of our desires and wills. It was perhaps for this cause Socrates called the Beauty, which spreads its attractives on the Body, An amorous Tyranny, by reason this imperious Stepdame is accustomed to captivate all those that abide under the Empire of her Looks. Plato in his Timeus had almost the very same conceptions, as Socrates, when he said, That the Colours, and Lustre, which give light unto the shade, and revive the Body and Face, have a flame, which flows insensibly from matter and form, to infire the Souls of all Spectators. Elianus lib. 22. It was this mixture (saith Elianus) of Charms and Splendours, issuing out of the Eyes and Mouth of a Maid beautiful as the day, The power of beauty. which so much surprised a certain Knight called Dioxipus, that although he had gained famous victories in the Olympic games, and was in the midst of Glory, and Triumph, loaden with the Palms and Laurels he had so often watered with his sweat, and blood; he was yet constrained to make a stand in the presence of all the people, acknowledging his own weakness, and confessing that the beauty of a Lady had vanquished him whom the strength of Man was never able to overcome. I add to these thoughts, Dulcem illecebram, carum venenum. Greg. Naz. Orat. 13. that of St. Gregory Nazianzen, who hath terms and words no less eloquent, than true, to express, that the beauty of the Body is a deceitful allurement, and a most pleasing poison, which passeth from one Sex to another, and conveys itself so far into the veins, that afterwards it cannot be drawn forth but with Death. These are verities, which have been proved from the cradle of the World by Examples and accidents, which have caused too Tragic, and Public Ruins, to be called in question? Cumque cepissent homines multiplicare super tecram & filias procreassent. Gen. 6. v. 1. Amongst others, the first and most exemplar was the Deluge, which happened unto the World one thousand six hundred and fifty six years or near upon after the Creation, by reason the Inhabitants of the City of Enos, and the Children of Adam being multiplied by strange increases, and in respect their bodies being fortified, and become like so many Collossusses of impiety, these Lascivious Giants went every where like impetuous Torrents, Videntes filii Dei filias hominum quod essent pulcrae, acceperunt sibi uxores ex omnibus quas elegerant. Gen. 6. v. 2. which nothing could stop but a brutish beauty, upon which they entertained their Eyes, and loves, with an execrable Liberty. I have a horror to relate it, but it is true, that the World was then but an Infamous retreat, where all Sexes without Order, Law, or respect, breaking all the Lines and Degrees of Blood, and Alliances, were monstrously confused. I should be unwilling to black this Paper in setting forth so many horrors and Ordures, and to recall the memory of them; but I cannot conceal, what God and Moses have published: Moreover the Heavens are ready to pour down Water enough to efface all these stains, and all the marks of those abominable sins. Nevertheless I feel my Spirit affrighted at the sight of these Horrors: and my Eyes would need tears of Blood to divert all these mournful Objects. O God who art the Origin of all Beauties, and whose least Glance completes the happiness of Angels and Saints; What! must Man! must thy Children and Creatures adhere to an other than thyself! why dost thou permit the fairest City of the World to be but a horrid and common Sewer? And must the World become a heap of Murders and Uncleanness? What! do you not see these Ravens to whom some worldly beauty gives Wings to make a sudden stoop at carrion putrified and almost consumed by its own rottenness? do you see all these incarnate Devils? these Giants of the Earth, and these Men devoid of Soul and reason? who employ all their study and care to Court an Idol of Clay, Detestable Idolatry. a Face of Marble, and the Picture of a Nice dame, who is attended by excess of Diet, Pomp of Garments, painting, musk, perfumes, wantonness, attractives, artifices, amorous looks, gestures, freedom, sport, Raillery, Idleness, Night, Solitude, and all sorts of privacies. Surely so many vapours and exhalations as are risen from the World, or rather from Hell, for above sixteen ages together, have too much thickened the Clouds; God is necessitated at last to pluck up the Floodgates, Videns autem Deus, quod multa malitia hominum esset in terra, & cuncta cogitatio cordis intenta esset ad malum omni tempore. Gen. 6. v. 5. and open the Cataracts to swallow up the World, and cause Shelves and Shipwrecks upon Mountains and Cities, as well as upon the Ocean. The iniquity of Men is too deeply rooted in the bottom of their Hearts, and all their thoughts are too strongly fastened on Evil. The Decree is given, and I see nothing that is able to withhold an arm holily irritated. God reputes himself for having created Man, Panituitque eum quod hominem fecisset in terra & tactus dolore cordis intrinsecus. Gen. 6. v. 6. and bestowed on him all his labour, and affection; he reputes himself, and his heart riseth at the sight and thought of this Object: In fine, being no longer able to restrain his wrath and indignation, I swear by myself, saith he, that I will destroy Man, and Efface his name and memory over the face of the Universe. Deleho, inquit, hominem quem creavi à facie ●eirae, ab homim usque ad animantia, & à reptilt usque ad volucres Cae i, ●oe●●e● enim me secisse illus. Gen. 6. v. 7. I will not spare even Beasts and Birds: to the end, that what hath been a Witness, Complice, or even a slave of his crime; shall also be the Companion of the pain and punishment which is ordained him. This said and done: Of so many men, who then lived upon the Earth, and of so many Families, No va ò invenit gra tiam coram Domino. Gen. 6. v. 8. Cumque vidisset Deus terram esse corruptam (omnis quippe caro corruperat viam suam super terram.) Gen. 6. v. 12. that only of Noah deserved favour, and was freed from Shipwreck. God then calls this holy Man, ●●●●t ad No sints untversae carn●● veniet coram me: Kepleta es● terra iniquitate à fancy torun, & ego aisperdam illos cum ter●a. Gen. 6. v. 13. and great Patriarch, to advertise, and communicate his whole design unto him. Friend, saith God, the World is in its agony, and my Justice shall put an end to this Work, which my Love began. All my patience and delays have only served to make way for evil; And my clemency is converted into rigour; After all, my goodness is tired, and I am resolved to open all the Torrents of my wrath; that the World being no longer but a great Abyss, and a vast Scpulcher, may be drowned in itself, and that there may never be more mention of it. Go then Noah, Fac tibi arcam de ligms laevigatis, mansiunculas in arca facts & birumine lintes intrinsecus & extrmsecu●. Ger. 6. v. 14. Et sic factes cam; ●recentorum cubitoru erit longitodo arcae, quinquaginta cubitorit altitudo ej●. Gen. 6. v. 15. ●enestram in arca sacies, & in cubito consummabis summitateme●us: Ostrum autem arcae pones in latere; deorsum senacula, & trillegafacies in ca Ger. 6. v. 16. Ponamque faedus meum tecum & ingredieris arcam tu & sil●i tui, uxor tua, & uxores fitiorum ●●cum, Gen. 6. v. 18. Ex omnibus animantibus mundis tolle septena & septena, Masculum & Faeminam: De animantibus vero immundis duo & duo, Masculum & Faeminam. Gen. 7. v. 2. Sed & de volatilibus Caeli septena & septena, Masculum & Feminam: ut salvetur semen super faciemuniversae terrae. Gen. 7. v. 3. and build an Ark of Timber and Planks: make small apartments in it, and pitch it both within and without. Let it be three hundred Cubits in length, fifty in breadth, and thirty in height: make then a Window a Cubit high, and in the side contrive a door to go in and out; dispose also Chambers therein, and be careful, that the whole be divided into three stories, to the end the Body of this large structure may be the more commodious, and better proportioned. Afterwards I will make my accord and pact with thee: and thou shalt presently enter in with thy Wife, Children, and Cattle. Besides thou shalt conduct into this Sanctuary all sorts of Beasts and Birds, with this distinction, that amongst the clean thou shalt choose seven of every species; and of the unclean, two only: pairing always the Male and Female, that they may repair the Earth and Air by their Copulations. This good Man performed exactly all that God had commanded him; he is already in the Ark, Fecitque Noe omnia quae praeceperat illt Deus. Gen. 6. v. 22. Cumque transissent septem dies, aquae diluvii inundaverunt super terram. Gen. 7. v. 10. Rupti sunt omnes sontes Abyssi magnae & cataraclae caeli apertae sunt. Gen. 7. v. 11. Et facta est pluvia super terram quadraginta dicbus & quadraginta noctibus. Gen. 7.12. and he busieth himself in disposing and nourishing all these different Species of Beasts, and Birds. Seven days were spent about these preparations, and in the miraculous enclosure of this new House. At the end whereof the Heavens opened on all sides, and the Sun, Moon, and Stars, seemed to be changed into Sources and Channels, the Air and Clouds became a Sea, and all the Elements joined together to make of the whole World an Ocean without shores, without bottom, without Haven, and without limit. I represent unto myself the liquid firmament, all-inflamed with his wrath and indignation who intends to alter the whole State of Nature. I firmly believe, that amidst this storm, Thunder upon Thunder, and a thousand Claps were heard, which served to arm the Heavens, the Planets, and the Clouds. It is probable that the Night and the Winds were mixed together; and I cannot doubt, but that Hell and Earth did also conspire to increase the horror of so dismal, and universal a Punishment. Mean while, where are you the unhappy Inhabitants of the City of Enos? Giants, of what use is your Mass of Body, and those vast dimensions, which have only served to make you fall from a higher pitch, and rendered your ruin more remarkable? Poor Heirs of Cain, Children of Men, Effeminate Spirits, wanton Souls, where are you? The Heavens fall on your Heads, the Air stifles you, the Water swallows you up, and the Earth vanisheth away. Fathers, Mothers, Children, Husbands and Wives, Brothers and Sisters, Kindred, Friends where are you? and where are your Monsters and Prodigies of Alliance? I behold, I behold your Towers buried under the Waves: I hear your cries, your sighs, and your voices notwithstanding the Tempest; In fine your floating Bodies and your dying Souls acknowledge but too late the Excess of your Sins. Ah Sin, Sin, these are thy Spoils, and this is the Tempest thou hast raised; Sin dost thou discern the State into which thou hast reduced the World, the Air, the Earth, and the Heavens? Sin dost thou at l●st acknowledge that thou art the Origin of this Disaster, and of all these Calamities? O God Factúmque est diluvium quadragenta diebus super terram, & mul iplicatae sunt aquae, & chvave unt arcam in subleme à terra. Gen. 7. v. 17. Vehementer enim inundaverunt & am●ia repleverunt in superfi●e terrae: porrò arca fercbatur super aquas. Gen. 7. v. 18. Et aquae praevaluerunt nimis super terram, opertique sunt omnes montes excelsi sub universo Caelo. Gen. 7. v. 19 Is it possible, that those Fires, and Thunders were to punish Sin? Is it possible, that so many Streams, so many Rivers, and so many Seas are needful to Efface his Image? Must all the Elements weep forty Days, and as many Nights: And in fine must all Nature be in Mourning, or rather in Triumph? Since every where she erects Trophies, and Mountains of Water to swallow up the most shameful, and most Insolent of all Vices: I mean that which a and Christian Mouth dares scarcely Name. During this Triumph, and Mourning, Noah stears his Vessel, his Family, and Troops, upon the Billows. This holy man enjoys a Calm, and sails securely over these Storms and Billows. He beholds the Day in the midst of Might; And the Tempest, which sinks the whole world even as low as Hell, lifteth him up even as high as the Heavens. Range then O Noah, Range upon the waters of the Deluge, and expect the day and moments, when God shall land thee in the Haven. And thou O Ark that carriest the world, and its Spoils, behold how the Sea makes a halt at thy approach, and keeps back its Suspended waves as it were out of complacency, and an orderly respect. Holy house of God; Fortunate Sanctuary of all mankind! float on without oars or sails, float on, for it is the Spirit of God, and the hand of the justest of men which directs and guides thee. In effect, scarce were the Forty days expired, Recordatus autem D●us Noë cunctorumque animantium & omnium jumentorum quae crant cum co in area, adduxit spiritum super terram & imminutae sunt aquae. Gen. 8. v. 1. Et clausi sunt sontes abyssi et ca●aroctae caeli et probibitae sunt pluviae decaelo. Gen. 8. v. 2. Reversaeque sunt aquae de terra eu●●es & redeuntes & caeperunt minui. Gen 8. v. 3. Requievi●que a●ca mense scptimo, vigesimo septimo die mensis supermontes Armeniae. Ge●. 8. v. 4. At vero aquae ibant, & decrescebant usque ad decimum mensem: Decimo enim mense aparuerunt cacumina montium. Gen. 8. v. 5. Cumque transissent quadraginta dies, aperiens Neë fenestram arca quam fecerat, dimisit corvum. Gen. 8. v. 6. Qui egredichatur, & non revertebatur, donec siccarentar ●quae super terram. Gen. 8. v. 7. ●●nisit qu●que columbam post cum●● videyet si same cessassent aquae super faciem terrae. Gen. 8. v. 8. when in an Instant the Heavens dried up their sources; the air appeared most serene; and the great drops of Rain were turned into Pearls and dew, as it were to give notice of the return of the Sun and Morning, which should begin to spread every where a Calm together with the Day. In a word, God remembered the hour and Moment which he had promised unto Noah to restrain and stop all his Torrents. The Earth at the same time impatient of bearing a burden which was not natural to her, risen up on all sides, and in her emotion forced the waters to make a thousand Fluxes, and refluxes, which sufficiently testified the violence of these two Elements; At length, after seven Months contest and conflict, this wand'ring Island, which carried Noah and his family, landed upon the Mountains of Armenia, expecting till the tenth Month, when the other Hills showed their heads and tops: Forty days after which, this most Holy and wise Pilot, who had almost spent a whole year in the pleasing obscurites of his prison, still victorious and trumphant, resolved at last to open its window to give flight and passage to a Crow, which indeed went forth but never returned: For he entertained himself on Stinking Carcases and Carrion, finding there his Nourishment and repose. There needed then a purer and more faithful Messenger: Noah chose a Dove a mongst all the Birds; that she might discover whether the waters were quite retired. But this innocent Creature, and amiable Spy, finding no ●resting place clean enough, returned presently into the Ark and advertised Noah that the waters of the Deluge were not wholly decreased. Quae eum non invenisset ubi requiesceret pes ejus, reversa est ad eum in arcam: aquae enim erant super universam terram, extenditque manum & apprehensam intulit in arcam. Gen. 8. v. 9 Expectatis autem ultra septem diebus aliis ru●sum dimisit columbam ex arca. Gen. 8. v. 10. At illa venit ad eum, ad vesperam, portans ramum olivae virentibus foliis in ore suo. Intellexit ergo Noë quod cessassent aquae super terram. Gen. 8. v. 11. Expectavitque nihilominus septem alios dies, & emisit columham, quae non est reversa ultra ad eum. Gen. 8. v. 12. It was this news that obliged Noah to expect yet the space of Seven days, after which he took the Dove again and instantly gave her leave to take her liberty and Flight; Whether will she go? And where will she find a rest to perch on? Noah in expectation, stands one while himself, an other some one of his Children, at the Window to see whether this Angel of peace would return. Behold good news, the Dove is returned; Notwithstanding the Night and the approaching obscurities, I have a glimpse of her with the Olive-branch she carries in her Beak. Noah what sayest thou? Make hast I prithee: receive this little Legate, and take from his mouth the earnest of peace; And if thou hast a mind to have more certain assurances, the term of seven days will put a period to all thy desires. Here was the last delay; for as soon as the seven days were expired Noah cast out again the Dove to the mercy of the Waters, of the Air and Earth, where having at last found footing, she resolved to abide. CHAP. X. Noah's descent out of the Ark, and his Sacrifice on the Hills of Armenia NOAH seeing what had passed, Et aperiens Neë tectum arcae, aspexit, viditque quod exsiccata esset superficies terrae. Gen. 8. v. 13. Lecutus est autem Deus ad Noë, dicens: Gen. v. 15. Egredere de arca tu & uxor tua, filii tui, & uxores filiorum tuorum tecum. Gen. 8. v. 16. Cuncta animantia educ tecum, & ingredimini super terram, crcscite & mul●●●camini super eam. Gen. 8. v. 17. Egressus est ergo Noë etc. Gen. 8. v. 18. Sed & omnia jumenta & reptilia quae reptant super terram secundum genus suum, egressa sunt de Area: Gen. 8. v. 19 uncovered the roof of his Ark, and presently perceived the Earth, the Lands, the Haven, the fields, and the dry'dup ways. He heard God also commanding him to departed out of the Ark with all his Company, that he might repeople the universe; which was done according to the Orders God had given him, and immediately the same Providence which guided into the Ark the Lions of Africa, the Bears of the North, the Tigers of the deserts, and the Pheasants of Numidia, sent every one back unto their own Country. I leave unto the curious to imagine what pleasure Noah had at the opening of his Cage: when he saw Eagles, Vultures, Austridges, and all birds take their flight, following the tract which was to carry them under their own Climate; God knows also how the Sheep fled far from the Wolf, the Lion from the Cock, the Hare from the Dog, which Nevertheless by secret and divine Charms, held in the Ark a Correspondence without Noise, War, or Enmity. In fine, during this Jayle-delivery, and these separations, Noah was careful not to do like Seafaring men, who during the Storm and Tempest, invoke all the Saints of Paradise, & make a thousand vows unto them, which Nevertheless they perform not in the Haven, and calm, but by an infinity of Blasphemies, and by the continuation of their Impieties. Scarce was this eminent man (chosen by God for the conservation of the world) descended out of the Ark, but he instantly built an Altar, Adificavit autem Noen altar Domino, & tollens de cunctis pecoribus, & volucribus mundis, obtulit holocausta super altar. Gen. 8.20. on which he offered Holocausts and victim in honour of him who had so sweetly, and by such marvellous ways, conducted him to the shore and harbour. Never was any Sacrifice more pleasing unto God than that; Odoratusque est Dominus odorem suavitatis Gen. 8. v. 21. For he was not satisfied to approve it by a motion of his Eye, as that of Abel's; but as if the Smoke which risen from the Altar had been a perfume embalmed with musk and odour, Odorem suavitatis, legunt Hebraei, odorem quietis (Noach) God fed himself, or rather to believe what the Hebrews conceived, the Spirit of God took its repose in the midst of these imbalmed fires and Flames which consumed the Sacrifice of Noah. It was in this repose that the Spirit of God and goodness felt itself as it were touched both with horror, and pity in consideration of men's misfortunes whose propensions and inclinations to Good are so cold, and unto Evil so ardent. A poor heart meets sometimes with so harsh Combats, Weakness worthy of compassion. so violent Assaults, and so unexpected Trials, that scarce can those crimes be imputed to it, which the Hands, Eyes, Tongue, and Ears have committed. It is often blind, often it is deceived; Men speak unto it and it is deaf, they interrogate it and it hath neither Tongue nor Speech; What wilt thou do? It is in vain to awaken it; For its Duskie, Moist, and Terrestrial humours have cast it into a deadly lethargy and into a cruel stupifaction: And if at last Remedies awake this heart, it is molested with so much noise, is it is amidst so many passions and importunities which provoke it, and whisper into its Ears on every side, as it is almost impossible for it to hear the voice of its own Conscience, and the clamours of God. It is then peradventure for this cause God promiseth unto men and Noah, Et ait nequaquam ultra maledicam terrae propter bomines: sensus enim et cogitatio cordis bumani in malum prona sunt ab adolescentia sua. Non igitur ultra percutiam omnem animam viventem. Gen. 8. v. 20. Cunctis diebus terrae sementis, & messis, frigus & aestus, aestas & byems, nox & dies non requiescent. Gen. 8. v. 22. Benedixitque Deus Neë & filits ejus. Gen. 9 v. 1. that the Earth shall be no more accursed for their sake: He assures them that his revenging hand shall never take the Rod so universally to scourge all sinners: that from henceforth Winter and Summer, Cold and Heat, Day and Night, shall have their courses, periods, motions, and vicissitudes, with order, and by regular intervals. Afterwards he stretched forth his paternal, and most merciful arm upon Noah, and his family, blessing his Children, and all his posterity: And it was from this fountain of Graces, and Benedictions, men received their re-establishment in the World, and a general Command over the Elements, and Animals, which felt at the same time either horror, love, fear, or respect for them. CHAP. XI. The Rainbow in the Heavens. GOD resolving to confirm the Oath, Arcam ponam in nubibus, & erit signum soederis inter me, & iater terram. Gen. 9 v. 13. Cumque obduxero nubibus coelum, apparebit arcus in nubibus. Gen. 9 v. 14. Et recordabor foederis mei vobiscam, & cum omni anima vivente, quae carnem vegetat, & non erunt ultra aquae dilavii ad aelendam universam carnem. Gen. 9 v. 15. Hoc ●●t signum soederis. Gen. 9 v. 17. and Covenant he had made with Noah, was so good and gracious as to imprint the Seal of his contract in the Clouds, to the end the malice of men might never be able to efface it, and that on the contrary he might be obliged never to make war against them, when he should see between him, and the World, those illustrious characters of Love, and those magnificent Articles of Truce, pardon, and peace. Moreover this sign, which appeared in the heavens, was but a Bow without Arrows; It was a resplendent Arch, and a Circle beset with Diamonds, Emeralds, and Rubies; It was a chain of Gold, Silver, and Pearls; It was a Scarf interwoven with the most lively splendours and the most sensible lights of the Sun and Day. It was the Portrait of Peace, which appeared under feigned and imaginary colours, or to express in a word all that can be thought, and said when we cast our Eyes on this wonder of the Air; It was the Diadem which St. John discovered on the head of Almighty God: and which therefore was to be for all eternity the Crown of a God, who can never change, but will everlastingly conserve this Garland and Diadem of peace. O God of peace, goodness, and Love! Great God, who art always loving, and canst never be loved enough! Ah! let not the World be so bold as to take up Arms to disturb thy peace. Lord let all hearts love thee, and let them be tributaries to thy affections. O God of Heaven! all Good, all Just, all Powerful, pour down no more Storms and Abysses on our heads. Yea my God drown us in those amorous billows, that if the World must perish at last, let it be in the Torrents and flames of thy holy Love. CHAP. XII. The unhappy effects of Wine. IT is true, that Men were never more at Peace, the Earth never more pure, and Heaven never poured down so many favours as it shed upon the Earth and the Children of Noah. Coepitque Noë vir agricola exercere terram & plantavit vineam. Gen. 9 v. 20. Bibensque vinum inebr●atus est, & nudatus in tabernaculo suo. Gen. 9 v. 21. Quod cùm vidisset Cham Pater Chanaan, verenda scilicet Patris esse nudata, nuntiavit duobus Fratribus suis for as. Gen. 9 v. 22. Nevertheless in the midst of Pleasure, Peace, Concord, Love, Joy, and all sorts of Benedictions, this poor Man, whom all the Waters of the World, and of the Deluge, could not vanquish, was drowned at last in a Glass of Wine. O God what scandal, what shame, what disquiet, and what disorder in the family of Noah! This good old Man, fell cold, and stiff on the ground, and it is not known whether he be dead or alive. His Children run presently to help him, but as if the fume of the Wine, which their Father had taken too inconsiderately, had dazzled and blinded the youngest of them; Unnatural Impudence. instead of casting ashes, and water on the flaming Coals, which consumed his poor Father, At verò Sem & Japhet Pallium imposuerunt humeris suis, & incedentes retrorsum operuerunt verenda Patris sui: faciesque eorum aversae erant, & Patris visilia non viderunt. Gen. 9 v. 23. he made a bon fire of Mirth, and scorn about his Nakedness: and with an unparallelled Impudence discovered to the Eyes of all his Brethren, what Nature hath concealed. His Brothers nevertheless were more respectful, and prudent than himself: for immediately Piety cast veyls over their Eyes, and Love, though Blind, found out Artifices to cover an Object which was neither decent nor lawful to behold. Ingenious respect. It was in recompense of these chaste duties, Evigilans autem Noë ex vino, cùm didicisset quae fecerat ●i filius suus minor, ait: Maledictus Chanaan, servus servorum erit Fratribus suis. Gen. 9 v. 24. Dixitque: benedictus Dominus Dous Sem, sit Chanaan serv●s ej●s. Gen. 9 v. 26. that Noah being returned out of that Abyss, into which Wine had precipitated him, opened the Eyes of his Body, and Soul, and afterwards perceiving the unnatural Impudence of Cham, he darted forth the Thunder of his Malediction against his Son Chanaan, beseeching likewise God to bless, and fill Sem, Japhet, and all their Progeny, with his Graces. It was from their Posterity all the Generations of the World are descended; Dilatat Deus. Japbet, etc. Gen. 9 v. 27. and they were the Persons who laid the foundation of Sodom, Niniveh, Salem, and Gomorrha; as also of so many other famous Cities, from whence afterwards Arts, Republics, Policies, Governments, and all the Empires of the Universe took their Rise. CHAP. XIII. The Tower of Babel. AT that time though Hearts were divided, Erat autem terra labii unius, & sermonum eorundem. Gen. 11. v. 1. and all opinions different, yet there was but one Mouth, but one Interpreter of Souls, and one common manner of Speech. Cumque proficiscerentur de oriente, invenerunt campum in terra Sennaar, & habitaverunt in eo. Gen. 11. v. 2. But as it is very difficult for the Tongue long to belly the Heart; So it happened not long after that the Inhabitants of the Earth feeling the Justice of their own Consciences which called upon that of God, and threatened them with the coming of another Deluge, resolved to build a Tower, Et dixerunt: Venite, sactamus nobis Turrem, cujus cusmen pertiagat ad Caelum, & celebremus nomen antequam dividamur in universas terrae. Gen. 11. v. 4. and raise the top of it even as high as the Clouds. The chief Undertaker of this famous Structure was the Giant Nembrod, Granchild to that Reprobate Cham, who discovered his Father's shame. This Architect was of a proud Nature, and of a Capricious humour, believing that his enterprises, and designs, were to be executed without the least opposition. In effect, never was any work undertaken, Descendit autem Dominus, ut videret civitatem, & Turrim quam edificabant filii Adam. Gen. 11. v. 5. and advanced with more Expedition, nor with more Ardour, Zeal, and Submission. But the Grand Designer of the World, the Architect of the Universe, and the general Producer of all things, who takes delight to confound the Wisdom of the Wise, and to overthrow the Plots, and Enterprises of the most Powerful, beholding these Fortifications raised near midway, and being able no longer to endure this Audacity, and these presumptuous Attempts, resolved at last to over turn all these Forts, Venite igitur descendamus, & confundamus ibi linguam eorum, ut non audiat unusquisque linguam proximi sui. Gen. 11. v. 7. Et idcirco vocatum est nomen ejus Babel, quia ibi confusum est labium universae terrae, & inde dispersit eos Dominus super faciem cunctarum regionum. Gen. 11. v. 9 and to cast a general confusion of Tongues amongst the Carpenters, and Masons. This made a Tower of Babel, that is to say of Disorder, War, and Confusion. This stately Building, this lofty Citadel, this impregnable Fort, was but a Labyrinth of deaf and dumb people, who spoke without hearing one another, and cried out when it was not in no man's power to help them. Behold the Enterprises and Designs of the World: Behold the Structure of the Giants of the Earth, and the Sanctuary of their Pride. Men are wont to build, with much trouble, they raise Towers, they Flank Bulwarks, they strive to render themselves impregnable, or rather unaccessable by inferior people, they have also cemented their Walls with their purest Blood, and a thousand poor Husbands, as many Widows, and six times as many Orphans must needs have been swallowed up under these foundations. What comes of all this? The Roof is not yet laid, when a Wind and Tempest riseth, which must carry them away: The sweat and tears of the Workmen, over whom they tyrannised, are ready to make the whole Body of the Fabric to shake under sad ruins; what ever happen, the Masters and Tyrants shall never enter into it; or if they do, it shall be but to enclose therein the anxieties of their old age, as in a doleful prison. Yes, those great Bulls of Brass shallbe the first Furnaces of those cruel Phalarisses; and those imaginary theatres of their Grandeurs shall serve but as a Scaffold on which their Glory and Honour shallbe immolated. Vanity of this World! Phantasms of the World. glory of a few days! Phantasms of the Earth! seeming beauties! Men, what do you think? and why I beseech you, so many Houses, so many Castles, Cities and Villages? cast your Eyes, on the Tower of Babel, and dread at least the fate of the like disaster. Finally then make your Wills, Ingrave your Epitaphs, seek out six or seven Foot of Earth, and from henceforth think only on erecting your Tombs. Go, consult your Ancestors, your Fathers, and Masters; cast yourselves at their Feet, enter into their Sepulchers, search into the bottom of their Monuments, and be not affrighted to behold so many ravelled Crowns, so many broken Sceptres, and so much Purple serving only to cover Worms. Imitate those many Princes, and great Ladies, who have commanded their Coffins to be made, when they were in perfect health, and who often descended into them to learn, during life, what must happen after death; At least do like Philip of Macedon, Advertisement of Philip of Macedon. who every Day at his waking had a Page to remind him, what he was, and what he should quickly be. Homo mortalu morti subditus. I assure myself that these practices will suddenly alter your designs, and that your most serious thoughts will at length rather entertain themselves on Death, than Life, and rather on a Sepulchre, than on a Family. The end of the first Book. THE HOLY HISTORY, FIRST TOME. ABRAHAM and ISAAC. SECOND BOOK. CHAP. I. Abraham's departure out of his Territories, and his entry into the Fields of Moreth, where he erected an Altar, and where God appeared to him the second time. THe Genius of Philosophers had reason to say, That the most dreadful and difficult Trade of the World was to govern Men. In my opinion nevertheless it is not impossible to meet with Kings capable of this Government, provided their Crown, Sceptre, and Empire exceed not the bounds, and limits of Nature, and of a purely Politic, and Civil Life, which follows the Conduct of Men, and Laws. And if by the Government of men, this ravishing Spirit understood the Orders, Ideas, and designs, which are needful to guide men amidst the Accidents, and byways of a Moral, Supernatural, and wholly Divine Life; I say, and maintain, that it is not an employment proper for Men, but only the Office, and Function of the most wise, and most holy Providence of God. It was also, as I believe, the opinion of Aristotle's Master; Plato in pluribus locis. for I heretofore took pleasure to remark in his most charming, and true Ideas, that Man was in this Life, as in an Army, The marvellous State of Man. that the Destinies were his ranks, Occasions his weapons, his Enemies all sorts of disasters, his Confederates misfortunes, and finally for conclusion, that he was in the World as in a Field of Battle, in which God was to him a King, Master, Captain and Sovereign Governor. Pythagoras was then mistaken, when he said, that God ruled not the sublunary World, to wit Men, but by the assistance of two great Powers, which are Counsel, and Fortune, or Destiny. It is God who governs us, it is his Hand which guides us, his Eye which conducts us, and it is his powerful Finger which hath Engraven his Laws, not in Tables of Brass or Marble, but in the Centre of Hearts, and Souls. Philo differed not in opinion, as I imagine, when he said, that Man bears his Master within himself, which is nothing else but an internal Light which is the Signet of our Souls, the Spirit of our Spirits, the Life of Reason, and according to the Hebrew Text, Vexilla super nos limen vultus tui. Text. Hebr. a Standard sparkling with Heavenly Lights. Finally it is in the midst of these Lights, that the Voice of the Holy Ghost, and the Word of the Word is heard, and Imprints itself in the Soul with the most resplendent, and luminous Rays that can enter our Spirits. Now it was, by the Favour, The calling of Abraham. and Splendour of these conquering Lights, and victorious Voices, that Abraham was chosen amongst Men, as the Person who would be the most obedient, most faithful, Cyril. lib. 3. cont. Jul. Apost. Ex medio deceptorum ereptus ad luc● verae agnitionis Dei vocatus est. and most conformable to the Will of God. It was saith St. Cyril about the time when Ninus held the Reigns of the Assyrian Empire, and when the World was buried in the darkest obscurities of Infidelity, that this Angel was drawn out of the Errors of Night to adore the Verities of the Day. It was, as one may imagine, even according to the History of Moses, either during a most Heavenly sleep, or in an Eecstatic awaking, or finally by means of an Angel clothed with an humane Body, that Abraham heard distinctly the Voice of God, which said unto him, Abraham, it is time to leave thy Country, and Kindred, and to abandon thy Father's House. Fellow me then, Egredere de terra tua, de cognatione tua, & de Domo Patris tui, & veni in terram quam monstrabo tibi. Gen. 12. v. 1. and repair unto a Land, and under a Climate, which I will show thee; every where I will be thy Star, thy Pole, and my Eye shall serve as Guide, and Torch to conduct thee to the Haven and Landing-place. Well then Abraham, get thee out of thine own Country, leave all thy Friends, and break those many ties, which Blood hath woven in thy Veins and Heart. The Milk thou hast sucked is from henceforth no other than poison, the Nourishment thou hast received from thy Parents doth but sustain thy Body, and stifle thy Soul: In fine the Light and Brightness of Heaven cannot be seen amidst the Shades and Smoke of thy Country. But what! must poor Abraham leave himself? O my God why dost thou oblige him to forsake his beloved Chaldea, and why wouldst thou have him separate himself from his Kindred and Friends? He is in a flourishing City, and thou perchance wilt lead him into some solitary place or desert. He lives in Glory and Honour, and possibly thou intendest to reduce him into a state of Scorn, and Contempt. He wants nothing at Home, and it may come to pass, that every thing will fail him amongst Strangers. These motives are too weak to break the Desires, and Designs of a Soul which God courteth. It is a delicious thing to leave the streams for their source, and to forsake ourselves to give ourselves unto our Maker. The World and Chaldea are but a point in comparison of the Firmament, and all the Elements in respect of the Impyreall Heavens, are but a heap of vapours, and a Globe of exhalations. To this I add, that the most peopled Cities, and Provinces, are frightful Dens, liveless Bodies, and most solitary Deserts, if God be not there; and on the contrary, the most dreadful Solitudes, and least inhabited Grots become Courts and Palaces, as soon as God and his Spirit reside therein. Finally all Reposes are Disquiet, all Peace is but War, all Honours are Contempts, Parents are Traitors, Brother's Envious, Friends Deceivers, Houses and Beds Sepulchers, and Life is but a Death, or at best, but a long, and dolorous sickness, unless God be the Loadstone of our Hearts, the highest pitch of our Glory, and the Centre of all our affections: for he shall then be our Father, our Brother, and our Friend, and in his bosom we shall find our Country, Parents, pleasures and delights without bitterness, and without any mixture of those passions, which are still armed to besiege our Hearts. Abraham understood all these verities from the very morning of his vocation; and at the first overture of the favours which God imparted to him, he took a Staff in his Hand, and became a Pilgrim in the World, sufficiently discovering, that the life of Man is but a Pilgrimage, and that a Man shall first, or last, reach the Port. It was nevertheless hard for him, as I believe, to take his Wife for a Companion in his voyages, to adopt his Nephew for his Son, and to bring away all his Goods, and Baggage, before his Kindred could have notice of it. Then God knows what Noise, what Tumult, what Astonishment in the whole Family, and amongst his Allies: God knows whether Friends appeared troublesome, and whether the most indifferent strove in this case to express their passion. Let every one represent unto himself what may befall him, and what is wont to surprise all those that depart out their Country, and are obliged to forsake their Friends; They imagine that even Iron, stones, trees, and beasts, look upon them with the Eyes of Compassion, and that what ever hath least of animation assumes Voices, and Tongues to testify their regret, and bid them adieu. A poor Soul hath then very sensible convulsions, and amidst so violent, and sweet assaults, it is almost impossible to remain a Conqueror. It is in vain to advertise him, that it is God who speaks unto him, that it is an Inspiration from Heaven which presseth him, and that they are the Graces of Paradise which will triumph over Nature, and Hell. Notwithstanding these thoughts, and inspirations, the Sun doth not rise, but to present unto him a thousand Portraitures of those whom he hath left behind. The Moon, and Stars, show him by Night, and in sleep, nothing but the Images of those whom he hath abandoned, and he awakes a Thousand times with sighs from his Heart, and tears in his Eyes, to embrace the Shadows, and Phantasms of his dearest Friends. This is that at last which makes him often renounce his good purposes, and take truths for Illusious, and Darkness for rays of light. Alas what Shame, and Cowardice! This poor man is not gone a Musket-shot from the City, and scarce hath lost the sight of his steeple, but he presently reassumes his former ways, and returns with an intent to build his Tower, or rather his Tomb, on his Chimney's Hearth. Abraham was far more courageous, and the rays which God darted into his heart made not only more lively, but more constant Impressions therein. For immediately he gins his journey, he goes on without prefixing any Limit to himself, he obeys a single voice, and follows a guide, who having once spoken, disappears. Let any one stay him that will, his heart ceaseth not continually to fly, his spirit sees an object which is invisible, and leaving what he hath, he is assured to find what is promised him. Is not this a strange resolution, and will not these generosities be thought too blind in a worldly mind? No truly, these thoughts will never fall into a Soul, which knows the force and power of a vocation wholly divine, such as was that of this incomparable Man, Faciam te in gentem magnam, & benedicam tibi, & magnificabo nomen tuum, eri●que benedictus. Gen. 12. v. 2. chosen to be the father of Nations, and in whose person God blessed all people and generations. Well then: are not the first effects of this vocation great Prodigies? It is peradventure for this reason Gregory Nazianzen terms the vocation of holy Souls, a grace, S. Greg. Naz. orat. 3. ac orat. 20, & orat. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Zozomenus. lib. 2. c. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which hath nothing Common in Nature, and this is that which induced Zozemenus to call it a Convicing Revelation, and whose lightning is like a Thunderbolt which carries away all that stands before it. Whatever it be, the vocation of Abraham was a stroke from Heaven, and one of the fairest conquests God hath ever made over hearts. March then Abraham: Carry with thee that happy Sara, who makes up the moiety of thyself; and till God shall please to give thee Children, let Lot be the Son and be thou a Father to him. Farewell then for ever dear Land of Chaldea; And you Let, Abraham, and Sara go joyfully unto Canaan. They are already gone, Pertransivit Abraham terram usque ad locum Sichem, usque ad vallem illustrem. Gen. 12. v. 6. and I see them departing out of the Territories of Sichem to advance directly unto the plains of Moreth. It was in this famous plain, and in this delightful valley, which divides the Mountains of Gelboa from that of Hermon, Borcardus. 1. Paral. c. 7. Aparuit autem Dominus Abram, & dixit ei: semini tuo dabo terram hanc. Gen. 12. v. 7 where the more languishing, and less rapid waves of Jordan are seen. There God a second time appeared to Abraham, and there also he gave him both the promise, and possession of the land of Canaan for himself and his posterity. Admirable magnificence. Is not this a most admirable draught of God's sage prodigality and illustrious Magnificence, who in exchange of a foot of ground gives entire worlds? He will have the Heart, and for the heart he gives Himself, and in him the Creator of souls, and the Soul of all hearts. Alas! what is a corner of the Earth compared with the Land of promise? what is a country and City in respect of the firmament? And where shall we find brethren, kindred or friends without pretention, interest, or any suspicion of deceit, as are found in Heaven? Ah! I no longer wonder that so many Kings and Queens, so many great Lords and Ladies, have followed the happy, and blessed steps of Abraham to enter into the territories of the earthly Paradise, and of Religion. I remain no longer amazed to see so many young gentlemen, brave, rich, courageous, and learned; So many tender, fair, and wealthy virgins who often in the sight of Royal Palaces, and Courts, make a most sweet, most holy, and most honourable retreat into Cloisters, to see them place their honour, all their delights and riches in a most amiable and delicious prison. Good God How peaceable are these divorces, how free are these Captivities, and how holy are these resolutions? If God give the whole for a part, Worlds for one kingdom, the Heavens for one Country, and a hundred-fold for one; who willbe astonished to see a Theodosius, Zeno: tom. 3. an Anastasius and a Michael quitting the Empire of Greece to enclose themselves in a Monastery? Who will wonder to see a Charlemagne, Son to Charles Martell, who abandoned all the hopes he had in France to live out of the road of the world, and the Court, on Mount Soractes? and what great wonder is it to see in the Kingdoms of Spain, a Veremond King of Castille, and a Remirus King of Arragon, following the happy steps of a like conduct? Surely I see nothing which is too admirable, when for the same cause Sigebertus left his England, Charles his Germany, and so many others, who have forsaken their most vast, and most glorious Monarchies. It was little considerable for Radegond and Baltildus to despise France, though it were one of the Largest, most Noble, and most August Kingdoms under Heaven. It was then yet less considerable for all those, who have followed their steps and examples: for doing what Sara and Abraham did, they could not doubt but God would guide them out of their Empires into a Land of plenty, where Crowns and Sceptres are the Arms of an Eternal possession. It remains then for all those, Qui aedificavit ibi Altarem Domino qui aparuerat ei. Gen. 12. whom he hath taken by the hand, as he did Abraham, and led them over the Banks of Jordan, and through the shades of Hermon, to build there an Altar on which they might offer Sacrifices of Love, and Acknowledgements, as Abraham did. CHAP. II. The Voyages of Abraham and Sara into the Land of Egypt. SAint Thomas hath excellently well noted, D. Th. c. 26. etc. 28. 1 in aggrediendo. 2 in sustinendo. that courage is a force of Spirit, always bold, always constant, and which is found not only amongst assaults, onsets and sieges, but it delights also, to sustain a long time the violences which present and oppose themselves to its desires. It is not then a perfect Act, of Courage, and Force, to undertake some voyage, and to put ourselves on our way; But we must advance even unto the End we propose to ourselves. And whether it Hails, whether it Rains, whether it Blows, or whether it be fair Wether, we must still have, as a brave Pilgrim said, our tract and way marked out not on Sand, and Earth, but in the Heavens; that is to say above the Sun, and Stars, which have always regular motions, and pass through the midst of Monsters without either stop or seeming astonished. It was, as I believe, on this pleasing Mirror, and on this Card of the most constant designs, and of the most assured voyages, or rather on God himself, that Abraham leaving his own Country instantly cast up his eyes, well resolved to follow him every where, who served him for a Master, a Conductor, a Sanctuary and Country. He left then the plains and valleys, to ascend the Mountains, as still desirous always to make new progresses, and to advance without any intermission. It is he then whom I see spreading his Pavilions on the top of a Mountain, Et inde transgrediens ad montem, qui erat contra orientem Bethel, tetendit ibi tabernacutum suum, aedificav●t quoque Altare Domino, & invocavit nomini ejus. Gen. 12. v. 8 and erecting an Altar to invoke the name, and assistance of God his Conductor. Listen a while, and hear from his mouth the thoughts of his Soul. Great God I have forsaken all for thee, and at the first command I received, I obeyed the voice of thy most amiable providence; A farewell to the World. at length behold me here out of my Country, far from my own Possessions, and severed from my friends: I am ignorant, where I am; but I only know, that I am with thee. It sufficeth me, O my God, all my desires are pleased, and my Soul is fully satisfied. Farewell all my kindred, farewell my friends, farewell my Country. O my God me thinks at every step I make, I conquer a Kingdom, all my guests are Kindred, the little Hills are my Dungeons, the Fields my Cities, and all that the day discovers to me of Earth, of Rivers, of Air, and of Seas, is my Country, my House, and my place of entertainment. O God how Magnificent are thy bounties, and how delightful it is to follow, and serve so sweet a Master as thyself? Ah! let my Mouth, and Tongue bless thee, and let them not from henceforth serve but to invoke thy holy name. In fine, I will not only engrave these thoughts upon this Altar: But to the end I may publish them through all the Countries whither the Sun carries his light; I make myself the Companion of this Story, Perrexitqu● vadens, & ultra progrediens ad Meridiem. Gen. 12. v. 9 and without further delay I leave the East to advance unto the South. It often happens that God makes use even of the least sensible, and most inanimate Creatures to impart his graces unto his Elect. Sometimes he enters into the Heart with the break of Day. His Lights, and Clarities often mingle themselves with the Night, and when the Sun sets to give rest unto the Body he causeth a miraculous Morning to arise, which awakens the Soul: Now I no ways doubt, but our Pilgrim in his journeys towards the South feels also more resplendent ardours, and more enfired lightnings, which inflamed him with more violent, more zealous, and more lively desires and designs. Mean while a general famine came over all the Land of Canaan; Facta est autem same's in terra, descenditque Abram in Aegyptum, ut peregrinaretur ibi praevaluerat enim fames in terra. Gen. 12. v. 10. Cumque prope esset ut ingrediretur Aegyptum, dixit Sarae Uxori suae: novi quod pulcrasis Muli●r. Gen. 12. v: 11. Et cum viderint te Aegyptii, dicturi sunt: Uxor illius est, & interficient me & te reservabant. Gen. 12. v. 12. Dic ergo, obsecro te, quod soror mea sis: ut bene sit mihi propter te, & vivat anima mea, ob gratiam tui. Gen. 12. v. 13. Cum itaque ingressus esset Abram Aegyptum, vider●nt Aegyptii Mulierem quod esset pulcra nimis. Gen. 12. v. 14. in so much as our happy Traveller is enforced to take a farther journey, and to descend into Egypt: where flying from the sith, and weapons of that merciless thing, which always takes his enemies by the throat, he falls into the hands of an other no less cruel Monster, who commonly steals in by the eyes to surprise and suffocate Hearts. This man wholly enlightened by God, and who carried in the bosom of his faithful moiety, the purest, and most holy flames of his Love, beheld a far off the smoke of a most dangerous fire, and fearing lest his dear Sara should be there either by mishap or force surprised, he thought it fit to say unto her. Wife, we are here on the Confines of Egypt: but yet I am afraid, lest these souls a thousand times more black than their bodies, lay not some blemish on thy chastity. I fear lest these Ravens of Egypt should pour down on the beauty of thy Face, and make it serve as a prey to their most infamous Loves, and afterwards my life as a victim to their sensuality. Tell them then I pray thee, that thou art my Sister, and that I am thy Brother, to the end I may escape by this amiable Stratagem. All these forecasts were not grounded on a vain fear, Et nuntiaverunt principes Pharaoni, & laudave●unt eam apud illam, & sublata est Mulier in domum Pharaonis. Gen. 12. v. 15. and some erroneous Judgement: for scarce were these two Doves of Chaldea, these two Turtles, and these two chaste Lovers entered into Egypt; but instantly the Princes of Pharaoh, who were the Ministers of his impurities, carried away the chaste Sara, and brought her to Court; which was a Seraglio of luxury and lubricity. Mean while what can a chaste, and courageous Husband say, or think, who sees before his eyes the rape of his Wife. Unfortunate Abraham what wilt thou do? are these the Promises which God so often made thee of filling thee with all his favours and benedictions? Ah what can the loss of a Wife make a Man a Father of all People, and Nations? and is this the recompense of that Faith, Obedience, and Piety, which seemed not to raise up thy Body from the Earth, but to Elevate it to the Heavens? Behold War on the one side thundering against thee; and on the other side Famine pursuing thee, and Egypt which hath ravished from thee all the honours, pleasures, and purest entertainments of life. From whence then spring all these misfortunes? Most just apprehensions for Worldly Men. Is it perchance because thou hast too suddenly left the way which God had marked out to conduct thee between the arms of a most loving Providence, which was able to nourish thee in the midst of deserts and famine? It is peradventure because thy vows, and Sacrifices, were not perfect; Or else art thou not charged with the spoils of thy Family, by the excess of an ill regulated Love? Or finally hast thou not proposed to thyself for the end of thy travel the hopes of some gain, or traffic? Or else that which is apparently more honourable, hath not the curiosity of seeing, and knowing, what is done elsewhere, snatched thee out of Caldea to hurry thee into unknown Countries? I confess, that commonly these are the Western Winds, which swell the sails of those who travel either on Land or Sea. But certainly as for Abraham nothing less than such designs: Why then will you tell me, that it is God who afflicts him, and wherefore is that, which he doth for his sake, so rudely, and furiously crossed? Ah! my friend whoever thou art, who askest this question, take not ill what I say unto thee, that thou art a stranger, and Pilgrim in the Land of God, and in the ways of virtue. In a word, Trial of Constancy thou knowest not the secrets of a Conduct wholly Divine, which is accustomed to employ all the instruments of mishap, and all the disgraces of fortune, to erect trophies unto its dearest friends: often war, plague and famine, maladies, affronts, falls, exiles, and all that is most dreadful in Nature, take up arms to assault the life of one predestinated person; but afterwards Comets transform themselves into Rainbows, Famine changeth its sith into the horn of abundance, affronts become honours, misfortunes become favours, Fine Metamorphoses. banishments palaces, and all the moments of Days and Nights will render themselves celebrious by some new benefit in favour of these happy infortunates. Courage than Abraham, and no ways doubt, but the fidelity which Sara hath vowed unto thee will be proportionable to that thou rendrest unto God. As for Pharaoh his Hands are bound, his Eyes blindfolded, and his Heart so full of bitterness, and grief, as at present he cannot attend to the research of remedies, and of his own liberty. Lay aside now all thy fears, and thou also Sara: for thy Heart is a Sanctuary of Peace, and a Temple of Love, of which God alone, Flagellavit autem Dominus Pharaonem plagis maximis, & domum ejus propter Sarai Vaorem Abram. Gen. 12. v. 17. and Abraham keep the Keys: Besides, these clamours thou hearest, and which resound every where, are but the forerunners of thy liberty, and the witnesses of the vengeance God hath already taken of Pharach, and likewise of all the Princes of his Court. In effect this great God, Vocavitque Pharaoh, Abram, & dixit ei: Quidnam est quod fecisti mihi? nunc igitur ecce conjux tua, accipe eam, & vade. Gen. 12. v. 19 who is jealous of the glory of his, sent such harsh scourges to Pharaoh, and all those who had been his complices, as scarcely had this unhappy Prince the means to see the Face of Sara. This disastrous Court is no longer but a Dungeon of Darkness, a Galley of Slaves, and a large Hospital of despairing frantics. Every where Violated Chastity, the Rights of Marriage, and Hospitality, dart forth Thunderbolts; The Court of Pharaoh. And from the poisoned shafts nothing but lamentable voices, and bitter plaints are heard, which correspond with the strokes of a most holy and just severity. Ah God if these salutiferous cries could be carried upon the wings of the Winds from one Pole to the other, to advertise so many Egyptians, who are either in the Dust of the World, or breathe the air of the Court. Cry out then Pharaoh, cry out, and awake so many sleepy Souls, which lie in soft Downy Beds, as Coals under Ashes to entertain the ardour of their impurity. Do you see these lascivious men, and these ravenous Wolves, who are in quest of their Golden fleece, and seek out Flesh, and Blood, to satiate the rage of their brutality. For this they engage their Servants, and Handmaids they subborn confidents, they lay ambushes every where, and either, soon, or late, some chaste Sara must be taken away. But at the same time, Luxuria dulce venen●m, pernic●osa potio humanum corpus deb●ita●, & v●●l●s animi robur ●nervat. Hugo à S. Vict. lib. 4. inst. Monast. l●t. l. saith Hugo Victorensis, the poison of their infamous Mouths cast forth into the Bosom of Virginity, reascends into its Source and steals almost insensibly into the Veins of a Body, which immediately becomes corrupted; from whence ariseth, that the Heart itself is presently infected, and it is from this Plague of Souls, and this Canker of Bodies, so many fatal blindnesses, so many blind furies, and so many furious errors do afterwards Spring, which cause in the Body an Abyss of Maladies, and in the Soul a Maze or Labyrinth of reason. These burning coals, and these flames, saith Justinian, which beget such sad fires in the body, and fill souls with so black, Ignis internalis est luxuria cujus materies gula, cujus flamma superbia, cujus sintillae prava colloquia, cujus fumus infamia, cujus cinis inopia, cujus finis gebenna. Laur. Just. c. 3. the sop. in lig. vitae. and thick a smoke, rise from the fire of hell. It is this fire to which good cheer serves for Nourishment; It is this fire which Pride, and Presumption inflame and enkindle on all sides; It is this fire whose sparkles are Lascivious provocations, its smoke is but a most dishonourable Fame, its ashes are Miseries, and Calamities, and in fine, it is only in the Hells of this World where this intestine fire is found. Let us judge then after this of the Greatness of Evil by the excess of Punishment, and if some one have a mind to die the most detestable death in Nature, let him lead the most enormous, and execrable life which can be in the sight of Heaven. But let us return to Pharaoh, who was constrained to stifle his unlawful Loves in the Ocean of his miseries, and who at last restored to Abraham the flower, which had been cruelly wrested from him. CHAP. III. The Agreement of Abraham and Lot upon the Controversy between their Shepherds. PEace and Purity are two sisters, which have no other Father or Origin but Love, and the Spirit of God, which cannot breathe but in a calm and in cleanness, there is its native Air, Element, Temple, and the usual place of its residence; And it is peradventure for this reason Solomon was accustomed to adorn the gates of his Temple with Lilies, and Olive-branches, Inseparable companions. desiring thereby to inform us, that none are to enter there, but by the doors of Peace, and under the shade of the Olive-branches, which are marks and symbols of Peace and Purity. This being so, I wonder not that Abraham, who was animated with the Spirit of God, and endued with no other than the purest passions, did express so much love, and inclination to Concord and Peace. He seemed Nevertheless to have some cause to commence a suit, Unde et facta est rixa inter pastores gregum Abram, & Loth. Gen. 13. v. 7. to wage war against Lot for the preservation of his rights, and authority, which might receive some prejudice by the strife, which arose between his servants, and those of Lot, their design being to become Masters, contrary to Justice, and Reason. Which Abraham seeing, to prevent all the disorders which might ensue on this first design, he saith unto Lot, Nephew I pray thee remember, Dixit Abram ad Loth: ne quaeso sit jurgium inter me & te, & pastures meos, & pastors tuos, fratres enim sumus. Gen. 13. v. 8. that hitherto I have not treated thee as an Uncle, but rather as a Brother; what a scandal would it be, if we should begin to live together either like strangers, or else as Enemies? I had rather lose all the goods of the world, than that of thy friendship: But I see clearly that these Shepherds, Ecce universa terra coram te est, recede à me obsecro, si ad sinistram eris, ego dexteram tenebo, si tu dexteram elegeris, ego ad sinistram ibo. Gen. 13. v. 9 and mercenary friends, are the persons who endeavour to engage our passions with their interests: It would then be more prudently done to sever our flocks, than to disunite our Minds, and therefore dear Nephew take what you please. If thou goest to the right hand, I will take the left: and if the left, I will pass to the right. Well then, is not this to love peace, and to purchase at his own expense so precious a treasure? Is not this to be magnificent, and can any one seek an accord with more Prodigality? Interessed Souls. Where are then these little hearts, and these narrow Souls, which are still buried amidst their own interests? Where are these worldly People whose Eyes may sooner be turned out of their heads, than moneys out of their hands? Where are all these Pertifoggers, and these Lawyers, who are always for delatory futes, and place all their hopes on a forged will, or a false contract? They are like Moles, which have always their Noses in the Earth, and incessantly enlarge their holes and graves. What shame is it for a man of courage to be still fight on a flight occasion, and to contest upon the point of a Needle who shall carry it? Alas! where are the abraham's, where are the brothers, kindred, and friends, who shall say one to the other, for God's sake let us live peaceably, rather let us die a thousand times, than wage war for those goods which either soon or late we must leave? My God These are generous, The Golden Age and heroic thoughts; To hear them, I conceive myself to be in those golden Ages when men carried their hearts on their lips, Crowns of Olive-branches on their heads, horns of plenty in their hands, their eyes in each part of their body, and the Chains of a holy friendship as bracelets and collars of Gold; Finally where the goods of the earth were trodden under foot as common to all men. And this caused that plenty of all things was carried every where upon a Triumphant Chariot, casting Gold, and Silver to all, that would but take the pains to gather it. God himself governed the Reigns of this fortunate Chariot, and as if he had a purpose to make every man a Monarch of the universe, he said the very same to them as to Abraham, when the love of Concord, and Peace, had severed him from Lot. My friend Abraham, lift up thy Eyes, Dixitque Dominus ad Abram, le●a oculos tuos, & vide à loco in quo nunc es ad aquil●nem, & m●ridiem, ad orientem, & occidentem. Gen. 13. v. 24. Omnem terram quam ●●spicis tibi dabo, & semini tuo usque in semp ternum, faciamque s●men tuum sicut pulverem terrae. Gen. 13. v. 25. and turn thyself on all sides from East to West, from North to South: These immense spaces, which thou beholdest, shall be under thy Empire, and afterwards at the end of thy life, thou shalt leave them for an inheritance unto thy posterity, which shallbe numerous, which shall equal the sands of the Earth: Rise then Abraham and begin again thy journeys, and ways, over the whole extent of the Earth; for this is the reward I intent to give thee. Well then; Surge ergo, & perambula terram in longitudine sua, quia tibi datu●us sum eam. Gen. 13. v. 17. Is not this a most powerful motive to Love Peace, and to bestow all that one hath to acquire a Good which draws with it all sorts of blessings and felicities. For my part, I believe, that Gregory the XIII. had learned by example the happy advantages of this verity; for having Commanded a Picture of Peace and Justice to be drawn, he caused a Vessel full of Flowers, & Fruits to be added, Typot. lib. 1. Symb. Justitia pacem, copiam pax attulit. with this Motto, Justice hath given us Peace, and Peace hath bestowed on us Goods in abundance. Abraham might have justly taken the same Arms, and the like Inscription. I represent also to myself, that such as seek Peace, and Tranquillity, may all say, and do like Abraham. Let us conclude, that we must often give way unto their Interests to become Masters of Hearts, Goods, and Possessions: that it is a most sweet and profitable art to lose a little for the gaining of Peace, which is wont to bring with it all that can be desired. CHAP. IU. The Victories of Abraham, and the assurances God gave him of a most flourishing Posterity. THe desires, A Warlike Tranquillity. and inclinations, which we may have for Tranquillity ought not to destroy force of Courage, which, as a Philosopher heretofore said, are the Arms of the Soul, and as it were the Wings of the Body. There are nevertheless faint-hearted Men and Effeminate Spirits, to whom the name of Peace is not venerable, by reason the bare noise of the justest combats useth to put them into a Fever. They are like that Coward of Athens, who died hearing a Trumpet, which was sounded at the beginning of an assault, or rather that heartless Sybarite, who seeing a Dart but in Picture made a vow never to use a Sword, or Dagger, never to come into the Field, were it but to mow Grass. This is not to have a pacifique Spirit, A shameful Pusillanimity. and inclinations unto Meekness, and Peace, but rather to bear under a humane Body the Soul of a tender Chick; or at least such people resemble those Indians, who tremble at the sight of their own shadows, and from whom, if one should take away their Hands when they are obliged to Eat or Drink, one would judge them to be Statues and feathered spectres, which tremble at the least breath of Air. There is then an other Spirit of Peace, which delights in Tranquillity, and knows not what it is to seek occasions of War, and pretences of dissension; But where once Right, Piety, Alliances, or violated Justice put Arms into their Hands, at the same instant this vapour which was hidden in the Clouds, and framed Veils against the violences of the Sun, gins to convert itself into a Mass of flaming Coals, which set fire on the Heavens, and puts the Earth into a dreadful fright. Behold here the Image of a generous courage of a pacifique Soul, and of a most valorons Heart; every where it settleth Peace, every where it accordeth differences, and never refuseth any Treaty of Union: But where it is provoked, and that there is need of preserving its own Rights, or revenging the injury done unto Allies, you instantly see it in the Head of an Army: It orders Troops; It is in the fight, at the charge, at the spoil, at the chase, and in action; briefly it is all Heart, and its Body seems to be changed into Arms, and Hands, to defend its Life, its Right and Honor. But who would have believed, that Abraham's humour, and courage, had been of this temper, when he was only seen to take Lot by the Hand, and say unto him, that all his goods belonged unto him, and that to avoid War he gave the World for a Field of Peace, and for an assured testimony, that he preferred a quiet Life before all pretensions whatsoever. Nevertheless when News was brought him, Talerunt amnem sulistantiam Sodomorum & Gomorrhae, etc. Gen. 14 v. 11. Nec non & Lot, & substantiam ejus, etc. Gen. 14. v. 12. Et ecce unus qui evaserat nuntiavit Abram Hebraeo, etc. Gen. 14. v. 13. Quod cùm audisset Abram, captum videlicet Lot Fratrem suum, num ravit expeditos vernaculos su 〈◊〉 decem & o●to: Et persecutus est eos usque Dan. Gen. 14. v. 14. Percussitque eos, etc. Gen. 14. v. 15. Redaxi●que omnem substantiam, & Loath Fratrem suum, etc. Gen. 14. v. 16. At vern Melchisedech Rex Salem, proferens panem & vinum: E rat enim Sacerdos Al●ssimi. Gen. 14. v. 18. E●●edixitque ei, & cat: B●nedictus Deus excelso, etc. Gen. 14. v. 19 Et dedit ei d●cimas exomnibus. Gen 14. v. 20. 〈◊〉 essus est & Rex So●omerum in occursum ejus. Gen. 14. v. 17. that the King of Sennay, the King of the Elamites, the King of Pontus, and he that was commonly called the King of Nations, were become Masters of the Field, and of the Sodomites Country, (who were his confederates,) and that even after the taking of Sodom, poor Lot, who fell into their Hands, was lead by their Command into a sad Captivity; At the very same instant this peaceable Traveller, instead of a Staff, took Arms into his Hands, and having selected three hundred and eighteen of his bravest Servants, he went foraging the Country, and so courageously pursued his Enemies, that afterward being come to the confines of Judea near the Fountains of Jordan, and finding them still wholly puffed up with the success of their victories, and loaden with their booty, he set upon them with so great courage, and dexterity, as at last he put them to a shameful rout, and gave them so general a defeat, that he brought back both Lot, and all his Goods, with the remainder of the spoils of all the Assyrians, who were all either dead or put to flight. After this defeat Melchisedeck, who was King of Salem, and also high Priest of the most high, offered Bread, and Wine, as a thanksgiving for the victories he had gained: Afterwards he gave his benediction to Abraham, who also presented him with the tenths of his spoils and of his whole booty. The King of the Sodomites sailed not to render his duties unto the Conqueror; for he presently made haste to Abraham, who treated him as a King, and as one of his Allies. CHAP. V The Assurances God gave unto Abraham of a most flourishing Posterity. A Midst all these successes and congratulations Abraham who had settled Peace in Judea and in the Neighbouring Territories, felt his Heart to have some desire of making War against him, and, as if fear and distrust had been willing to banish Faith from his Soul, he began already to complain, or at least to present some request unto God, saying, Ah my Lord! where is this so flourishing Progeny? where is this so numerous posterity? and where are these Children thou hast promised me? Can it possibly happen, that a Stranger and a Servant should be the support of my House, and the Inheritor of all my Fortunes? I see myself encompassed with Enemies: I feel myself burdened with old age, and there is as it were no longer any probability I should ever hope for Children. I very much doubt whether Abraham had ever an intention to complain. However he was somewhat afraid, and God to deliver him out of his fear said unto him in most express terms, Abraham fear nothing, Noli timere Abram; Ego protector tuus sum, & merces tua magna nimts. Gen. 15. v. 1. Dixitque Abram: Domine Deus, quid dabis mihi. Gen. 15. v. 2. for I have promised to keep thee always in my protection and to be for ever the recompense of thy Faith and hopes. But yet Lord! saith Abraham, what is that thou wilt give me? for a long time, is already spun out since I have been in expectation, and I have not the possession of any other Goods, than those I could hope for from your bounty. Certainly the Privacies of a Holy Soul are in high esteem with God; was there ever any thing more free, more open, and Genuine, than the Heart of Abraham? What Favourite of the Kings of this World would be so confident as to say unto his Master, what this Good Old Man said unto God? Nevertheless God was pleased with this Liberty; And as if he meant to increase so amiable a freedom by new assurances of his Power and Will; He made Abraham come out of his Pavilion, Eduxit illum foras, & dixit illi: suspice Caelum & numera stellus si potes. Et dixit ei sic erit semen tuum. Gen. 15. v. 5. Non erit hic haeres tuus: sed qui egredietur de utero tuo, ipsum habebis haeredem. Gen. 15. v. 4. Igitur Sara Uxor A●●aham, etc. Gen. 15. v. 6. Dixit marito suo: cece conclusit me Dominus, ne parerem; ingredere ad ancillam meam, si sorte saltem ex illa suscipiam filios. Gen. 16. v. 2. and then not satisfied with having promised him a Posterity numerous as the Sands of the Sea, He shown him the Heavens, with promise that the number of his Children should equal the Planets and Stars of the Firmament. Adding to him afterwards, that suddenly he should have a Son by his dear Sara, who should be the Heir of his possessions, and the ornament of his Family. Notwithstanding all these Assurances and promises Sara who felt herself Barren permitted her Husband what the Law and Custom of that time allowed; And much more, for this Wife humbly entreated, that Agar though a Servant, might share with her in his Bed and affections; but as it commonly happens that Honours trample on the Right and Duties of Nature, Agar was no sooner become a Mother, but she would be at the same time also a Mistress. It is a very strange spectacle to behold the insolences of Fortune. There is nothing so insupportable as a proud poor Man, as a Servant who is become Master, and, as a beggarly Woman who hath the Keys of a good House. These Monsters of Mankind resemble those Exhalations, Humane Monsters. which after they are raised from the Dunghills of the Earth, take the shape of the Sun, or of a Comet, whose aspect is terrible and dreadful to all beholders. They are also like those little Streams about four or five Feet in breath, which run Serpentizing about Cities, and sometimes commit so many spoils in one hour as the Sea would not do in a hundred years. But as the Sun with two or three Days of heat dries up these Torrents; so God in the twinkling of an Eye humbleth the Pride of all the insolent, and there is nothing so detestable in his sight as a Proud Man, who was Born in Misery and Poverty, unless those blind furies chance to relent either through due consideration, or some cross fortune, which invites God to resume his Eyes of Compassion to behold their Disaster. So Agar having been disgracefully driven out of Abraham's and Sara's House, when her wand'ring heart had leisure to entertain more humble and mild thoughts; God who hath fatherly tendernesses for those who place their whole strength and Consolation in Meekness and Humility, immediately sent an Angel to her, who promised her a return; and besides, gave her assurances that shortly she should have a Son, who should be called Jsmael: in effect, she conceived, and was delivered, as the Angel had said, Abraham being no less than fourscore and six years old or near upon. CHAP. VI The Continuation of the favours which God conferred on Abraham. THE Love which God bears to all Creatures is a rare Artist, it is always active, Love never idle always ardent, and never seen idle; It is a fire which is continually seeking new aliment; It is a torrent which never stops; it is a lightning which cannot long remain enclosed within a Cloud, & a Planet which knows not what repose or retirement meaneth. Painters for this reason gave it wings, and in pictures it is for the most part ever seen with one foot in the air. We must not then wonder, if the heart of Abraham being replenished with this Love, God commanded him to March, and still to advance. But what! was it not sufficient to have even run for the space of Ninety and Nine years, and been in a Continual journey during the whole course of his life? was it not time to make a halt, when he saw himself near the shore, and that his life was arrived almost in the Haven? It imports not (saith God unto him) it is I that speak, Apparuit ei Dominus, dixitque ad eum: Ego dominus omnipotens, ambula coram me, & esto perfictus. Gen. 17. v. 1. and thou must obey: On then Abraham, pass farther, I will be a Spectator of thy Voyages, and of the Progresses thou shalt make in the way of perfection. Alas! if all Men had this lesson deeply engraven in their Souls, and if all such as make Profession of following God were resolved never to make a stop upon the Earth, until they were arrived at the proposed end; What Progress would be seen in Virtues, what advances in the way of Paradise, and of Glory? Moreover, if we had often this thought, that God's Eyes are fixed on all the Motions of the Body and Soul, should we find so many Cowardly, Idle, and Lazy Persons standing with their Arms across, and whose Reason is buried in a shameful Brutality? Is it vain than God Commands us to go always ascending, Equality sometimes very dangereus. from one degree to another, and not to do like those stinking Waters which stop in the Mire? But sometimes to little purpose doth he show himself, and make himself felt by the effects of his Holy presence; no Body sees him, and none but an Abraham hath Eyes to know him, and Feet to follow him every where. It is likewise with him he makes an atonement, and it is in his Person he establisheth the King of Men, and the Father of all believers. Moreover as it is the Custom to impose on things a name Conformable to their Nature, and as it appertains only to the Elect, and such as are predstinated, to have Names which must be registered in the Book of Life, and which neither times nor seasons will ever efface; so God changed his name, which till then was Abram, adding to it one Divine Letter, and one of those Sacred cyphers of which Men use to express the ineffable Name of God, a very evident Sign that he was one day to take (as the Apostle saith) his Origin and temporal Birth from Abraham. Hieronymus in trad. Heb. in Genesim Lipomanus ad Heb. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I add to these Conceptions of St. Jerom, that Names (as the most faithful Disciples of Plato believed) being the Chariots of Nature and of Essences, It was necessary that Abraham, who was the Father of all Nations, should have also the Title of it, and that his name should be an Illustrious Witness thereof. Presently after, as if this fortunate and glorious Name had been the Seal of the Contract, and of the Alliance which God made with Abraham, he would render it more sensible, and add to these Ciphers of Love an Impression of Grief, and a Character of Blood. Then was Circumcision commanded not only for Abraham, but for all his Children, and Servants, Commandment for Circumcision. and in general for all those that should be numbered amongst his Generations; Hoc est pactum meum quod observabitis inter me & vos, & semen tuum post te: Circumcidetur ex volis omne Masculum. Gen. 17. v. 10. Infans osto dicrum circumcidetur in vobis, omne Masculum in generationibus vestris: tam vernaculus quam emptitius circumcidetur & quicumque non suerit de stirpe vestra. Gen. 17. v. 12. provided nevertheless they were Males; for Women were exempted from the Law: Concerning the time prefixed for the accomplishment of this precept, it was not to pass the term of Eight days; and the proposed End was no other than men's accord and peace with God, who foreseeing the War which the Body is wont to wage against the Soul, gave a Command to cut off the Prepuce, as the Centre of the impurest and grossest humours, which use to nourish and infire the flames, to enkindle the funestous Pyle in which the chastest purities are consumed. This is the opinion of Saint Thomas, St. Chysostom, and Theodoret; who add, that the Circumcision of the Jews was but a Corporal Figure of that Circumcision which should be in the Spirit of Grace, and in the blessed Law of the Messiah, who desires not a Sacrifice of Blood and rigour, but of Love, whose amiable and holy tyranny is sometimes more violent over the Soul, than the Law of the Jews hath ever been over the Body. Moreover Circumcision was not only a Figure of Baptism, of cumcision sign Peace. but a Constant and infallible Mark of the agreement God had made with Abraham: Now this ordinary denotation of Love, and this sacred Testimony of Peace was to be imprinted on the Body of the Hebrews, that the remembrance of the favours God had showed them might increase their duties of Obedience, Piety, and Faith towards God. Thirdly this effusion of Blood was a lively representation and animated by the Faith of Abraham who obeyed the Voice of one God, who presently cast Veils over his Eyes, infused Light into his Mind, and Fires into his Heart, which made him abandon all Creatures to remain under the sole Protection of Heaven. In the fourth place this Phlebotomy served to distinguish the Jews from other Nations; so that as heretofore the Grecians esteemed all the People of the World barbarous and brutal; so the Jews had a Custom to call all those Uncircumcised, who would not subject themselves to Circumcision. In fine, this rigour, and this Bloody precept God imposed on the Hebrews was an effect of the first Disafter which deserved tears and cicatrices of Blood. This was the Remedy which Men had to heal this satal wound which remains still bleeding. Now there needed such a healing hand, as that of Abraham, to receive this Bloody but efficacious Medicine, which was to mollify not only the Obduration of the Jews, but had also a secret virtue to wipe away the stains of that mortal Poison, which the Serpent of Paradise, or rather of Hell, had vomited into all Hearts. This was then a particular favour of God unto Abraham, but it was not the last; for he gave him afterwards the ultimate assurance that Sara who was 90. years old should be the Mother of a Son, Et ex illa dabo tibi silium, cui benedicturus sum, cri●que innationes, & reges populorum orientur ex eo. Gen. 17. v. 16. Et ait Deus ad Abraham: Sara uxor tua pariet tibi filium, vocabisque nomen ejus Isaac, etc. Gen. 17. 1 Cecidit Abraham in faciem suam, & risit, dicent in cord sho● putasue cenenario nascetur filius, & Sara nonagenaria pariet? Gen. 17. v. 17. who was to be not only the Prince but the Head and Father of Nations. This Son at the same time received his name from the Mouth of God even before his Birth, and the name imposed on him was that of Isaac, a happy and pleasing name, which sounded so sweetly in the Ears of Abraham, as presently his poor Soul being unable to bear the excess of this contentment, he felt himself surprised with an Amorous fainting, which cast him upon the Earth, and left him no words in his Mouth, but smilingly to say, My God is it possible that an aged Man a hundred years old should be the Father of a Child: Omnipotent God what News dost thou bring unto these poor Parents? what joy, what pleasure, and what transport in their Souls? what will Men say, when Sara shall grow great with Child by a Miracle from Heaven? what Song of Triumph, and what acclamations will there not be heard throughout all Judea? will not so many Servants and Handmaids who see all their hopes dying with Abraham, resume a new life, when they shall perceive the Birth of a Master, whose life must be their only support. In truth these thoughts and a thousand such as use to happen upon a like accident, are too deeply engraven in Nature and in our Hearts to appear barely on the Lips, and upon Paper. The Spirit may well conceive them, but Hands have but too weak and liveless touches to frame some draught of them. Most just resentments. It appertains only unto silence and raptures, to say what we can scarcely believe or think. France I call thee as a Witness; for thou canst represent unto us, if thou wilt, an Image of Abraham's and Sara's Joy; thou canst publish to us, if thou art so pleased, the sentiments of the justest and most holy King and Queen in this World, for whose felicity, we can but wish the Birth of a Child. At least we should even hear themselves, when Heaven gave them a Dolphin, who was expected for the space of two and twenty years, and then we might have beheld on their Faces the smiles of Abraham and Sara, we might have seen that which cannot be expressed by words, and finally, those Echoes, which corresponded with the public acclamations, might have opened to the understanding what I cannot lively enough explain. CHAP. VII. The Charity of Abraham towards Pilgrims, and the tenderness of God towards him. I Know not whether I ought rather to admire the continuation of God's favours to Abraham, or the constancy of his virtue and piety towards God and his Neighbour. God's Paternal Love. God ceaseth not to follow him, and since his departure out of his Country, as a good Father should do to his Child, he always held him by the Hand; And Abraham hardly ever lost sight of him, or at lest his Heart hath always most dearly conserved him. The life of Abraham then was a Combat of Constancy, and a Duel of Love, where on the one side when God attaques him, this generous Courage corresponds on the other side, and makes a strong defence. It is a Pilgrimage in which God goes first and Abraham next. These are but researches, pursuits, and solicitations. God gives himself entirely to Abraham, and Abraham hath nothing which he gives not for his sake. He made this evidently appear, Appar●it autem ti Duminus in convalle M●mbre sedente ostio tabernaculi sui in ipso servore dici. Gen. 18. v. 1. when being in the Valley of Mambre at the opening of his Tents, about high Noon, he saw three Pilgrims tanned with the Ardours of the Sun, and tired at least in appearance with the pains and toil of their journey: for immediately this magnificent, cordial, and devout man, Cumque elevasset oenlos, aparuerunt ei tres viri stantes propè cum etc. Gen. 18 v. 2. Et dixit: Dominest inveni grattam in oculis tuis ●ne transeas servum tuum. Gen. 18. v. 3. Sed asseram pauxillum aquae, & l●v●te pedes vestros etc. Gen. 18. v. 1. who bore God and men in his heart, prevented these travellers, and his Soul which always discovered truth amidst shadows, adored the Majesty of one God hidden under the habit of these three pilgrims. Afterwards he offered them his Table and house; and not satisfied with these proffers, he treated them in words and deeds, and then to render his duties more perfect he mixed them with so much sweetness, so much cordiality, and so much reverence, that afterwards he would needs wash their feet, honouring them not only as guests, but also as Masters of his House: wherein I first observe the promptitude of a good work, and of a Charity, which should have wings to fly, and prevent him that receives it. It is a verity proved by Axioms too popular to be doubted of; And the freedom and cordiallity, Liberalitas quod è libero arbitrio prosiciscatur nominata est. Senec. de beat. vit. c. 24. & lib. 2 the benef. which are so natural to magnificence, must partake of this promptitude: It were likewise to take away its Arms, and Eyes, and even its Name, as Seneca saith excellently well, if one should make a man Liberal without the freeness of this Cordial liberty. Thirdly this bountiful Cordiality ought in some manner to be blind, though discreet; for it is obliged to discern what is seeming, and what is real: But when once necessities are discovered, the heart, saith St. Denyse ought to be like God, and the Sun, who enlighten all shadows and have no disdainful brightnesses, but communicate themselves unto all bodies: And it was for this reason as I believe, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sines. ep. 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Alexand. lib. 2 Strom. that the learned Sinesius called liberality a Virtue common to God and man; and Clement Alexandrinus termed it the Image and picture of the Divinity. St. Austen adds, that presents must be made with Mouth, Heart and Hand. Finally Honour and Respect are requisite to it, as a mark, Seasoning of favours. that we acknowledge God in Man, and that we are bountiful unto men for his sake. This is what our incomparable host did, when after all sorts of courtesies and duties he further desired to wash the feet of these three Pilgrims. The which Solomon hath since so expressly recommended, when he described to us a River, Mitte panem tuum super aquas qui a post tempora multa reperies cum. Eccl. 11. whose moving Crystal floated in a bed of gold, and in silken curtains, Cast bread, saith he, upon the current of these waves, and I promise thee that all such as shall sow upon these liquid Fields shall there find a Harvest even after many Ages. Is not this the same which Abraham did washing the feet of these three Travellers? Kings of France true successors of Abraham. and is it not that which our Kings of France, the Successors of Abraham, have since so holily observed, when once at least every year they wash with their own hands the feet of divers poor people? This is doubtless to expose his grandeurs and charitable profusions upon a basin of water, which is presently converted into a Source of Graces and immortalities. This is to sow in a well-watred Land, and where one shall find the Abundance of Ages, which the wise man gave for an inscription to his River of Charity. Abundantia seculorum In fine, this River is no other than that of the Terrestrial Paradise which loseth itself for a while under ground, Moses Barcephas è Syria Antistes, lib. de Parad. cap. 28. Fluvius Phison. and afterwards goes as it were gliding upon the billows of the Ocean, until it issueth forth, as out of a prison, which opens itself upon the bounds of the West, where after a thousand wind this poor water which had been so long detained prisoner returns from thence towards the North, and into the Indies. If you desire more, the washing of poor men's feet is represented to us by the River Nilus, or rather by that of Jordan, Solinus: c. 35. Pausanias, Sieionius. Apol. or finally by the waters of Alpheus: For all these miraculous Rivers hid themselves for a time, and what is cast into them remain some days absorbed under the Abysses of water, but at length we receive all that is thought to be lost. This is in a word, as Solomon said, to cast one's bread upon the torrent of waves to receive it in eternity. In fine, this is to resemble those Roman Emperors, Vopiscus in Aureliane ait, eum fecisse corenas de panibus. and amongst others Aurelian, who made crowns of bread, or to conclude, and not to intermix profane Emperors with Christian Kings, and with the father of all Christian Princes, which is Abraham, let us say, that this most charitable Man washing these three Pilgrims feet sowed benedictions upon a River, Seminate in benedictionibus. 2. Cor. 9 Beati qui senunatis super omne● aquas. Jsa. 32. and that he put himself the first in the list of those blessed persons, who, as Isay saith, sowed upon all the waters and lands of Paradise. In effect, these three guests whom Abraham received into his tents with so much affection, zeal, and reverence, made a Paradise under one Pavilion; these were also Angels of Heaven, having only the shape and countenance of men; from whence I gather, that under ragged garments, and a skin torn with ulcers, and eaten up with cankers, God hidden under the habit of poor men. God and his Angels conceal themselves, to teach the purity of heart, works and intentions, which ought never to stay upon the rind and exterior appearance, but to pass even to the Centre where God himself is retired. Presently after the veils are seen removed, and the shadows unfolded, to disclose celestial lights, the Angels of God, nay God himself, who makes the heart melt into joy, and the eyes distil tears of Love and rapture, there are seen miraculous generations and fruitful sterilities, which produce Families, Nations, and Worlds at the birth of one Infant. In sequel of these favours the tendernesses of a human heart, and the least touches of compassion, which men have towards one another, hold so secret intelligence with the heart of God, as even at that instant men open their hearts, God dilates his own to impart unto them his most intimate secrets. The confidence he expressed to Abraham was a very Divine condescendency. evident mark of this verity: for when the crimes and the execrations of Sodom and Gomorrha pressingly called upon his Justice, and when the blackest vapours of these horrid sinks ascended even as high as Heaven, this most absolute Judge, who makes his definitive decrees without dependenco●r● counsel demeaned himself as if he durst not do it without the advice of Abraham. Ah what! Diaitque Dominus: num celare petero Abraham quae gesturus sum? saith he, can I conceal my designs and thoughts from my dear Abraham, who is to be the Pillar of the World, and the Father of so many Nations? No certainly, but I must discharge part of my displeasure into his bosom, that he may share with me in my designs as well as in my contentments, Harken then Abraham, Dixit itaque Dominus; clamour Sodomorum, & Gomorrhae multiplicatus est, & peccatum corum aggravatum est nimis. dost thou well understand, saith God, what passeth? for my part I hear a confused Noise, which daily sounds louder and louder; it is surely the Voice of my Justice which requires vengeance against the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomerrha, which have rendered their Cities an Abyss of horrors and abominations. Dost thou not hear these impure Mouths, these poisonous Tongues, these bewitched Hearts, these fleshy Souls, these Soul-less Bodies, and these ungodly Men without Faith, without Law, and without Honour? I hear them and their infamous clamours awake my indignation; Descendam & videbo, utrum clamorem, qui venit ad me, opere compleverint: An non est ita, ut sciam. Gen. 28. v. 21. I perceive also the sparkles and flames of their fire which are converted in my Hands into ardent and murdering Torches which consume them: I am resolved then to descend even into their Hearts to see near at Hand the Ashes and the Wood, which nourisheth so enormous a Fire. But what my God haste thou not Eyes which pierce from the highest Heaven, even into the Centre of Hell? and is not the least of thy glances able to dissipate all the shadows of the Night and of the Sun to produce there the Day of thy most rigorous Justice? hast thou not a mirror in thyself, which without disorder & confusion presents all objects to thee? If thou art a God, why dost thou speak to us like a Man? And is it not well known, that thou art every where, and as well in the Desert where Cain killed his Brother, as in the Paradise where Eve gave her Husband the mortal wound? Hast thou not been seen in Heaven precipitating the Angels, upon the Waters of the Deluge drowning Men, and in the highest story of Babel overturning this great Edifice, and confounding those Giants? Why dost thou then say that thou wilt descend into Sodom, and see in person what passeth before thine Eyes? Alas Lord! take not the pains to draw aside those shameful Curtains which hid so many lubricities from our Eyes: Lord do not debase thyself so much as with thy own Hand to discover those Ashes which take from us the prospect of so many volatile fires, and so many poisonous coals. Notwithstanding God descends (as I may say) into this gulf of impurity; Fair example to Judges. and resolves to be not only the Judge, but the Witness also of those crimes which he must afterwards punish with so much severity. Is not this a fair lesson for those who hold the balances of Justice in their Hands, and with whom God entrusts the most terrible and dreadful of his Attributes. I would willingly demand of these Masters who judge so often upon bare breviates, and instead of confronting witnesses, and making a diligent inquiry into the fact and truth, consult their passions, follow their own interests, and too inconsiderately pass sentences of life for Criminals, and of death against the Innocent. I would gladly ask of them (if nevertheless there chance to be such kind of people in Christian Republics) whether they have learned that stile from God, Most exact Justice. who is the Sovereign of all Justice, and who is not satisfied to hear complaints, and accusations, yet disdains not to cast down his Eyes, even to the Earth, upon the Authors of crimes, to be, as I have already said, not only their Judge, but also their Witness. Notwithstanding we must not imagine that God at the first sight of a fault takes presently arms into his Hands: for sometimes his patience gives truce during the whole course of life, and expects the repentance of a Sinner even till Death, otherwise the World would be quickly a Desert, or the Earth would at transform itself into a Hell of Punishments and Torments. Nevertheless we must not weary his Patience, An irritated patience is terrible. and abuse his Goodness: for sometimes he Darts his Shafts in an instant, and the very smoke of evil is no sooner risen in the Air, but presently Thunder breaks all the Clouds without Threats or Lightnings. At least he is wont after some delay to send public chastisements, and his zeal at last appears throughly inflamed after some sparks of fire which his Clemency had cast forth as the Messengers of his wrath. Thus did he long before the enkindling of the funestous Pile of Sodom and Gomorrha, where these incestuous Cities quenched their flames in the midst of their own fires. Abraham himself took the Liberty to confer with him upon this design, Freedom of Holy Souls. and when he beheld the Lighted Torches which were to be the Instruments of this sad Incendium, the Sanctity and freeness of his Heart permitted him to say, Ah! Et appropinquans ait: nunquid perdes justum cumimpio? Gen. 18. v. 23. Si suerint quinquaginta justi in civitate peribunt simul, & non parces loco illi propter quinquaginta justos si fuerint? Gen. 18. v. 24. what great God could it possibly happen that thy indignation should be Blind, and that thy Thunderbolts should equally fall upon the Just and Sinners? God of Goodness canst thou behold the innocent in the midst of punishments, without some touch of Compassion? Alas Lord! wilt thou not pardon this Criminal City, if in case but fifty Innocent Persons be found in it; Is not this a Motive powerful enough to invite thee unto Commiseration? Absit à te ut rem hanc facias, etc. Gen. 28. v. 25. Ah! let it be never then said, that thy just providence, which extends itself over all the Empires of the World, hath stifled Vice and Virtue under the same Ashes. Is not this an Innocent freedom, Dixilque Dominus: sl invenero. Sodim●s qui●quaginta justes in medio civitatis, dimittam omni loco propter eos. Gen. 18. v. 26. and capable of moving even the Bowels of God's mercy? Indeed God promised him to deliver all those that were invelaped in that crime, in case there were found not fifty, but ten only worthy of pardon. But it seems the iniquity of Men is so much the more enormous, as the goodness of God is immense and admirable. Ineffable goodness. Who would believe this if truth itself had not revealed it? Et dixit, Non delebo propter decem. Gen. 18. v. 23. who would credit it if God himself had not said it? And who would believe that Virtue and Piety are in such sort banished from the Earth as some good Men may not be found in it? It is then for this cause God advanced towards Sodom, Abiitque Dominus postquam cessavit loqui ad Abraham. to chastise their Vices, and to extinguish the Lust of their Women with a Deluge of Fire. CHAP. VIII. The firing of Sodom, and the deliverance of Lot. MAximus of Tyre and Dion Chrysostomus had but slightly, and as it were in passing by considered the Nature of God, when they believed it was a shameful exercise for a Sovereign Essence to mingle rewards with punishments. Atheistical Ignorance. It is an employment (say they) worthy of God's greatness to give Crowns, but to Dart Thunderbolts is the Office of a deformed, cruel, unpittifull and rigorous Spirit. Pliny the great was possessed with the same Errors, when out of an Atheistical flattery, Deus est mortali juvare mortalem, & haec ad aeternam gloriam via. and an Idolatrous Complancy, he gave unto his Prince the name and title of a God who had only power to do good. Is not this a pernicious flattery and altogether unworthy of a Divinity? But I will believe that in the time of Vespasian and Pliny, Rome had not yet seen that famous Statue of Justice, The Statue of Justice. which in the one Hand carried the Tables of Equity and of the Law, and in the other a Sceptre covered with a Stork, the true Symbol of Piety, upheld also by a Hippocentaure, which denotes cruelty; Besides her Head was armed with a great Helmet wrought out of Gold and Iron; At her Feet appeared an Ostrich, and a World on which certain Enigmatical terms were read, yet clear enough to manifest that it was the Picture of God's Sovereign Justice, which holds in one of her Hands all the Laws, and in the other a Sceptre of Clemency and Severity; the World is under her Feet as under her Empire, and close by her the Ostrich, which digests Iron, sufficiently evidenceth that her rigours break Diamonds like Straws, and consume Steel and Iron like Air and Wind. Behold the Portrait of God's Justice, her Sceptre hath not been seen hitherto in the Land of Sodom and Gomorrha, but upon the Wings of a Stork, that is to say, by Clemency and Meekness; Now the Hippocentaurs and the Ostriges will serve her for support, and a Hand of Justice will shortly appear in the Clouds which will power down upon these Rebellious Cities a flood of Sulphur, Ashes, & Fires. And truly if God had not a Hand of Justice, how could he govern the World? whose Empire cannot Rowl but upon two commanding Wheels, which are Justice and Goodness: Moreover, if God had no other Marks but of Meekness and Love, the Earth, saith Aristotle, would be without a Sun, and the Elect as well as the Reprobate would be seen perishing in the selfsame Chaos; Finally, Criminals would have no terrors which might induce them to penance, and the Just would want motives to preserve their purity. It stands then with reason, that God should have Justice, and that his wrath should from time to time power down upon the Heads of Sinners. Too long have the horrors of Sodom irritated and provoked him: the Night already approacheth, Veneruntque due Angeli Sodomam vespere, & sede●e Loath in soribus civitatis. Gen. 19 v. 1. Qui cum vidisset eos, surrexit, & ivit obviam eyes, adorautique pronus in terram, & dixit: obsecro, Domini, declinate in d●mum pucri vestri, qui dexerunt minimè, sed in platea mancbimus. Gen. 19 v. 2. Compalit eos oppido ut divertereat aa eum: s●cit convivium, & comederunt. Gen. 19 v. 3. and there remains no Day but to behold two Angels in the habit of Pilgrims, who seek out Lot even at the Gates of Sodom; observe how welcome they are, and certainly, they have met with an Heart who perfectly understands the Rights of Hospitality; observe what hast he makes to them, how he casts himself at their Feet, how he conjures them to spend at lest one Night in his House: In fine, after some refusals and Compliments, he enforceth them by his Charitable importunities to shelter themselves in his Lodging; they enter into it, and nothing but Feasts and congratulations are seen in this House. But they were no sooner risen from the Table, and preparing to take some repose, when immediately Sodomites came from all parts like enraged Wolves howling and trembling as if they had already felt the Agony of Death, and the Flames which were ready to devour them. O God? Prius autem quam irent cubitum viri civitatis vallaverunt domum, etc. Gen. 19 v. 5. Nolite, quaeso sratres mes, noli●e malum hoc sacere. Gen. 19 v. 7. what frenzies and what furies of a brutish appetite when it is once let lose! Disastrous passions! blind will! enchanted desires! shameful brutalities! Tyrannical Love! Alas! is it not true that your Eyes are veiled with a fatal Scarf? Blind Sodomites are you not yet satisfied to have exceeded all the bounds of humane Nature? Sacrilegious Effeminats, Diabolical Men, must Angels be constrained to satiate the ardours of your beastialities? Mean while Lot is very much afflicted; Habeo duas filias, quae necdum cognoverunt virum, educaem eas ad vos, & abutemini eis sicut vo●●s p●acuerit, dummodo viris istis nihil faciatis, etc. Gen. 19 v. 8. At illt direrunt: recedo illuc, & rursus: ingressus es, inquiunt, ut a. uma, etc. Gen. 19 v. 9 for these Cyclops of Hell are come out of a Furnace of obscurities with Hammers and Iron Bars in their Hands to break his Gate in a thousand pieces, to destroy Fathers and Children, Masters and Servants. Briefly even from the highest to the lowest, all the Inhabitants of Sodom have besieged this chaste retreat, and desire to make it the Den of their Impurities. In vain doth Lot entreat and declare unto them that the honour of his Guests is more precious to him than that of his Daughters. Et ecce miserunt manam viri, & introduxerunt ad se Loth, clauseruntque ostium. Gen. 19 v. 11. For after all this these enraged Beasts made him no Answer but with Blasphemies and reproaches, and they were already as it were Masters of this fortunate Sanctuary, when the tutelary Guards of this House carried him away as a Lamb in the midst of these Wolves, and a while after the Gate being shut these Angels of Iight cast forth so many glorious and resplendent Rays, as at last these desperate Sodomites were blinded with them: After this blindness, Lot began to open his Eyes to discern yet more clearly the force and Virtue of these blessed Guardians of his House; Et eos qui foris crant, percusserunt caecitate à minimo usque ad maximum, etc. Gen. 19 v. 11. Dixerunt autem ad Loth: habes ●i● quempiam tuorum? generu●, aut filios, aut filias, omnes qui tui sunt educ de urbe hat. Gen. 19 v. 12. ●gressus itaque joth, locutus est ad generos suos qui acc●pturi erant filias ejus, surgi e egredimini de loro isto: quia delebit Dominus civitatom hanc. Gen. 19 v. 14. They also perceiving the hour, which God had chosen to Execute the Decrees of his Justice, and having made an inquiry concerning the number and quality of those persons who were with Lot, they advertized him presently to departed out of this reprobate City, which was even ready to serve as a Theatre for the most rigorous vengeance of an irritated God. Instantly Let informed all his kindred of this strange news, to the end they might remove their Wives and Daughters out of this danger. But what! they that had no Eyes to discern God, had no Ears to hear their Father, or at least they made but a sport at his most serious Remonstrances. Mean while the Night slips away, Cun que ess●● marè cogehant cum An●●li, di●entes: surge, telle uxo em tuam & duas filias quas h●bes, etc. Gen. 19 v. 15. Eduxeruntque cu●, & posuerunt extra civitatem, th' que loc●● sunt ad cum, dicentes: salva animan. tuam, etc. Gen. 1●. v. 17. and from the break of Day, as if the Sun should have served to enkindle the Pyle of Sodom, the Angel's delegated for the preservation of Lot, taking him by the Hand with his Wife and two Daughters, constrained them to departed together out of the City, advertising them that to preserve their lives, and to enjoy the benefit they had received, they must seek out a refuge upon some high Mountain, without turning their Heads or Eyes towards the unhappy Sodom, lest some Whirlwind of Flames should chance to surprise and devour them. Behold then Lot much astonished: Nevertheless he conjures these amiable Spirits to afford him a Retreat in a little Town not far from thence; Dixitque Loth adeos: quaeso Domine mi, Gen. 19 v. 18. Quia invenit servus tuus gratiam coram te: ne forte deprehendat me malum & moriar. Gen. 19 v. 19 Est civitas haec juxta ad quam possum fugere, parva, & salvabor in ea: Nunquid noa modica est, & vivet anima mea. Gen. 19 v. 20. Dixitque ad cum: ecce etiam in hoc suscepi preces tuas, ut non subvertam urbem pro qua locutus es. Gen. 19 v. 21. Festina, & salvare ibi: quia non pole●o facere quidquam doaec ingrediaris illuc. Gen. 19 v. 22. Respiciensque uxor ejus post se, versa est in statuam salis. Gen. 19 v. 23. Igitur Dominus pluit super Sodomam, & Gomorrham Sulphur, & ignem à Domine de Caelo. Gen. 19 v. 24. Et subvertit civitates has, & omnem cirda regionem univosos babicatores urbium & cuncta terrae vireatia. Gen. 19 v. 25. the Angels granted all he desired, and the Village assigned him for a Sanctuary was also freed from the flames for his sake. But as there is nothing weaker and more wavering than a Woman's Mind, Lot had not power enough to hinder her Head, which was filled only with Wind, from moving at the sight of the first Lightnings which preceded this Storm; so in testimony of her inconstancy she was transformed into a Pillar of Salt, as if God intended by this exemplar punishment to leave unto over light Souls a Tragic monument of Inconstancy, and a dreadful effect of Temerity. Mean while the Heavens are no longer but a lively Source of Flames and Fires: The Sun, Moon and Stars are so many Channels through which God pours down upon Sodom and Gomorrha all the Thunderbolts of his wrath. The Clouds are the Torrents of Thunder which makes a hideous Noise which tears the Skies and carries away all without pity; Nothing is seen in the Air but flaming obscurities and ardent shadows heaped upon one another, which form a Hears-cloath to cover the shameful Relics of these loathsome Coals. The Earth on the other side is an enlivened gulf of burning Coals, which vomit forth so many Firebrands and Torches, as at length one would believe that the Air, the Skies, the Clouds, and the Earth were no other than a Hell. Nothing is heard there but Clamours, Sobs, Rages, Blasphemies and roar out. What a spectacle is it to see Men and Women with Bodies all on fire running through the Streets, their Hair flaming, their Eyes sparkling, The Image of God's Judgements. their Mouths burning, and their Hearts filled with Sulphur? What a monstrous Spectre is it to behold an Infant in his Mother's bosom, and in his Nurse's Arms like a lump of Sulphur which is consumed with the flash of a Torch? Who hath ever heard that the World was watered with a Rain of Sulphur, with a Deluge of Fire, and with an Inundation of burning Coals and Flames? What Thunder, what spoil, what desolation of Wood-piles, of Houses, and Furnaces? Beds, Tables, Cupboards, Gold, Iron, Marbles, and Diamonds turned into Firebrands? Alas! where are the Heavens? where is the Air? where is the Sea and Earth, when the whole World is on fire? Ah poor Lot! what is become of thy Wife, and where are thy Kindred, and what may thy Daughters think beholding the smoke of that fire which devours the Bodies of their unfortunate Husbands. Me thinks I see him with his Daughters in the folds of a Mountain, Et mansit in spelunca ipse & duae siliae ejus cum eo. Gen. 19 v. 30. Dixitque major ad minorem, etc. Gen. 19 v. 31. Veni, intoriemus eum vino, dormi●musque cum eo, ut servare possimus ex patre nostro ●emen. Gen. 19 v. 32. where he endeavours to shelter himself from these frightful inundations, which burn and desolate all his Country. But with what grief will Abraham's chaste Heart be touched when he knows that the Daughters of Lot are consumed with an other fire, and they enkindle such black flames, as even hinder them from knowing their own Father, or at least from treating him with that respect and piety which Nature required? Blind Nation! brutish Treason! Crime whose horrors have not a name in Nature: Thy Firebrands and Murdering Darts must pierce the side of a Mountain to defile and destroy what God had reserved to himself. Abraham autem consurgens manè ubi steterat prius cum Domino Gen. 19 v. 27. None but Abraham remains Constant in his Sincerity; he is still in the same place where God spoke to him with so much tenderness and privacy. Faithful Friend of God, Intuitus est Sodomam, & Gomo rham, & universam terram regionis illius, viditque ascendentem favillam de terra quasi surnacit sumum. Gen. 19 v. 28. Father of all Nations, Support of men, Vice-King of the Earth, Abraham, canst thou behold this dreadful fire without Sighs and Tears? Weep then Abraham, weep to quench these flames; but rather enkindle some pile to swallow up these Monsters which infect the World by the Contagious shafts of their Incestuous brutalities. Let there never be any mention made of Sodom, nor of the Lands which are complices in her disloyalty; Let no man ever think on her, unless it be to place before his Eyes the Image of God's Judgements, and of the Eternal punishments of Hell. There will never be a more sensible and exact draught of those endless torments, than Sodom, Gomorrha, Adama, Seboim, and all their Neighbourhood. Let us have then a horror to enter into these flaming Prisons, and into these Sulphurous Dungeons; The Picture of Hell. let us listen awhile unto these Sighs, Sorrows and Lamentations which rise from the bottom of these Abysses. My Eyes, what do you see? what Phantasms? what Spectres? what Torments? what Monsters? My Heart, art thou not affrighted at the sight of these flaming Furnaces, of these Mountains of Fire, of these dead which are always living, and of these lives still dying amidst Immortal Languishments and Endless Torments? O my God how will it be, when thou shalt descend upon the Clouds, and on a flaming Chariot to enfire not only five Cities, but all the parts of the Universe? Where will the most shameful and detestable of all Vices find Caves deep enough, when at the Sound of Trumpets and Clarions the Earth shall open her Sepulchers, like so many Furnaces, which will vomit forth men all environed with Fire? Whither will the confederates of Sodom and Gomorrha go, when all the Saints and Angels of Heaven shall even wax pale with fear? Will Vice be in a place of Security, when Virtue itself shall hardly find a Sanctuary? The Pillars of Heaven will shake, Luc. 21. D. Thom. sup. q. 73. the Cypress Trees and Oaks of Libanus will roar out, all Trees will melt into drops of blood, the Sun and Moon will change their countenance, all the Planets will make a stand, or dread will even tear them from their Orbs to follow, Pugnabit cum eo orbis contra insensatos. Eccl. 5. like trains of fire, the astonishing Splendours of God; The Earth, though most insensible, will arm itself in so just a quarrel. Afterwards the Ocean touched with so cruel a Sympathy will raise its billows and waves even five Cubits high above the Mountains, Signs of the day of judgement given by the Hebrews, collected by St. Jerom. related by St. Thomas. sup. q. 73. a. 1. immediately after they will tumble down to make Abysses, and presently extend themselves upon their ordinary Bed: Then will all Fishes, though naturally dumb, cast forth fearful moanings and outcries. In the Air Birds will tune sad Notes, and their sweetest Harmonies will be but Songs of Death. Nothing but Hairy, blue, sparkling, burning and bloody Comets will be seen; and nothing but Cries, Howl, and dreadful Lamentations willbe heard, not only amongst Men, but also amongst the fiercest Beasts, and in the midst of the least sensible and most inflexible Bodies. In fine, this will be the great Day denounced by the Mouth of God, by that of the Prophets, and of which Sodom hath been but the first draught. If then the representation thereof were able to affright the Eyes of the Impurest Souls, and to stop the Course and Torrent of so many flames which an infernal and Diabolical Love casts into Hearts, I would willingly advise the most part of Men to have the Picture of Sodom always before their Eyes, to the end so tragic a misfortune, might at lest divert a far more dismal disaster. But all these Pictures are too weak if Love takes not off the cover, and if Faith shall not open the Eyes. My God Dissipate then all the Shadows of Sodom, and fix our Eyes upon the Lights of Zion; O God illuminate our Minds, and inflame our Hearts, to the end we may follow the bright Splendours of thy adorable bounties, and that our Souls may never be consumed but by the fire of thy Love. CHAP. IX. The Birth of Isaac, and the Banishment of Agar and Ishmael. IN fine, Visitavit autem Dominus Saram sicut promiserat, & implevit quae locutus est. Gen. 21. v. 1. Concepitque & peperit filium in senectute sua, tempore quo praedixerat ei Deus. Gen. 21. v. 2. Rursumque ait, quis auditurum crederet Abraham, quod Sara l●ctaret filium, quem peperit ei jam seni. Gen. 21. v. 7. Dixitque Sara: risum fecit mihi Deus. Gen. 21. v. 6. Heaven hath heard the vows and prayers of Abraham; Isaac is born, and Sara is so much ravished at the sight of this happy prodigy that she can hardly believe what she sees: This Child nevertheless come by Miracle into the World, grows visible, and who ever hath Eyes to behold him, may quickly discern that he is the Image of Abraham's and Saras virtues; He is the fruit of Benediction which came in the Autumn, and therefore is almost ripe even in his birth; He is a Phoenix, on whom all the hopes of his race depend, and a Sun whose Aurora shows what will happen all the remainder of the day. His dear Mother hath no other pains and throws in her Labour, than smiles and admirations; Scarce was he weaned but his Father changeth his Nurse's Milk into good cheer, and invites his Friends unto a solemn Feast to rejoice with them for his happiness. What a wonder is it to see this Child of Tears and Desires become an object of a Ravishing Joy. Cumque vidisset Sara filium Agar Aegyptiae judentem cum Jsaac filio suo, dixit ad Abraham: Ejice ancillam hanc, & filium ejus. Gen. 21. v. 9 Durè hoc accepit Abraham pro filio suo. Gen. 21. v. 12. Sara art thou afraid that the life of thy son will bring thee death, and that the excess of a joy so little expected, will even melt thy heart? For my part I already apprehend lest the pastime of Isaac and Jsmael prove the occasion of a quarrel, and that at last either the Mother or child must be chased away: In effect, Sara could not endure the sight of Agar and Ishmael, she entreats Abraham to put both of them out of his House. But Abraham who hath the Tenderness of a father for Jsmael, cannot condescend to her desires. It seems to this good man that the severing of Isaac and Jsmael would even cut his heart in two. There is a necessity Nevertheless of obeying the request of Sara, Cui dixit Deus: Non tibi videatur asperum super puero, & super ancilla tua: omnia quae dixerit tibi Sara, audi vocem ejus, quia in Jsaac vocabitur tibi semen, sed & filium ancillae faciam in gentem magnam, quia semen tuum est. Gen. 21. v. 13. Surrexit itaque Abraham & tolleus panem & utrem aquae imposuit scapulae ejus, tradiditque puerum, & dinusit eam. Gen. 21. v. 14. for God commands Abraham in this occasion to execute all his injunctions, with promise that Notwithstanding all contrary appearances Isaac and Ishmael shallbe the first seeds of a most ample and happy posterity. Nevertheless I would very gladly know what was Abraham's thought, and whether he could abstain from mingling some tears with the water and bread he gave unto Agar, when he carried her the news of the will of God and Sara. What pity was it to see this poor handmaid enter with her son into a solitary and uninhabited Desert, and leave a plentiful House, where she had ever lived as a Mistress? Are not these very rigorous commands and most austere providences for those who have only Eyes for their own Interests, and for what appears to them a present good. To see Agar and Ishmael in the deserts of Bersheba with hunger and thirst, Quae cum abi●sset, orabat in solitud●●e B●rsab●c. Gen. 21. v. 14. and in a general want of all the conveniences of Nature, will not men believe them to be as it were dead in the world, and alive in a Tomb? What hope is there amongst stones and Rocks? What society in the midst of Woods, where nothing is heard but cries, and the roar of Monsters? What succour amidst Wild places, and out of the road of men? What light under the shades of grots and caverns, where the Sun dates not approach? What means of Livelihood, where all Animals are dead? Where nothing but frightful dens are seen, but aride sands, and some old Trunk of a Tree, without branches, leaves, or fruit? What then will Agar do, Cumque consumpta ●ss●t qqua in utre, abjecit puerum subter un●marborum quae iberat. Gen. 12. v. 14. she hath no more water nor bread? And mean while her life, her Love, and her dear Ishmael can no Longer endure the torments of hunger and thirst; he is already constrained to stay at the foot of a tree, and there to cast forth loud cries; Distressed Mother, what will you do? What a happiness would it be for you to die first that you might not die twice? Sara what have you done? Abraham where are you? Ah God what grief is it unto a Mother to see between her Arms the Tomb of her son? Agar have you not Tears to shed upon the Tongue of Ishmael to quench the Thirst which consumes him with a slow fire? Have you not a Heart to satiate and qualify his Hunger? Where are those maternal Bowels, and that holy passion, which Parents ought to have for their Children? Ishmael hath lost his speech, he is without hope, and Agar abandons him as no longer able to live, seeing her heart half dead before her Eyes. Farewell Ishmael, Farewell poor Orphan, A pitiful separation. farewell all the affections and hopes of Agar. And when any man shall chance to pass by this solitary place, let him engrave upon this Trunk, that here Agar and her son found their Exile, their death, and at length their Monument. Agar what do you say? Flente enim matre, & mortem filii miserabiliter praestolante, Deus exaudivit puerum, D. Hieron. Et sedens contra, levavit vocem suam, & flevit. Gen. 21. v. 16. Is this the hope you repose in God? And are these the promises he made unto Abraham? Ah! do you not know that Heaven hath Eyes always open to Innocency, and the least of Ismaels' sighs is able to draw God into this Desert? Join then boldly your Cries and lamentations with those of Ishmael: for one cannot hear the Child without hearing the Mother. In effect, Et abiit seditque è regione procul quantion potest arcus jacere, dixit enim, non videbo morientem puerum. Gen. 21. v. 16. Vocavitque Angelus Dei Agar de caelo dicens: quid agis Agar? Noli timere, exaudivit enim Deus vocem pucri de loco in quo est. Gen. 21. v. 17. when Agar was removed a flight shot from Ishmael, as she sent forth her Cries after the Moaning of her son, an Angel called her by her name, and said unto her, Go Agar, and return to thy son; take him by the hand, and reanimate this little dying body. O God who will not admire thy sage Providence, and the miraculous Conduct of thy Designs? Who will not remain astonished in contemplation of thy works, and above all when he shall discern the care thou hast of thy Elect? Alas! Surge, tolle puerum, & tene manum illius, quia in gentem magnam faciam eum. Gen. 21. v. 18. how stupid is the Wisdom of men? how imprudent are their conceptious, and how feeble are all the forces of their understandings when they are severed from thee? There needs but one Heavenly Ray to enlighten all the obscurities of the Earth, but on single drop of dew to soften all the rocks, and but one glance of God's Eye to give a Soul and life unto all the most Inanimated bodies in Nature. In fine, when a man thinks himself lost he presently finds his way in the midst of all his wander, and there is no climate, nor Earth so dry, Aperuitque oculos ejus Deus; quae videns puteum aquae abiit, & implevit utrem deditque puero bibere. Gen. 21. v. 19 and aride, where his Omnipotent goodness may not cause a Thousand Fountains and springs to rise, to the end it may be every where known, that he is the Source of Living and salutiferous Waters, who is able to quench, as he shown to Agar, the most ardent thirsts in the midst of Deserts and Solitudes. CHAP. X. The Sacrifice of Abraham, and the admirable Artifices of God to try his Constancy and Fidelity. I could almost have a mind to complain of God, and to accuse the apparent rigours he exerciseth on his favourites, If the little experience I have in the life of Saints had not taught me, that there are admirable Secrets to try his most faithful Servants. To this effect, Mobilis, semper inc●ss●bilis, calidus, fervidus. Dionys. cap. 7. coel. hicracb. saith St. Denis, He is always in Motion, never at rest, and his ardours are so penetrating and lively, that he passeth like an inflamed Arrow even into the bottom of the heart to see there all that is enclosed. Nevertheless he is not like those petty Tyrants, who cover their Eyes, place veils over their foreheads, and hold Torches, Bows, and Arrows in their hands, as Weapons which they use to give death with blindness; But if Divine Love hath Veils they are wrought with the purest lights of Heaven; Trial of Love. and if it hath Shafts it is to open hearts, and its Torch serves but to disclose all the secrets of souls in which nothing can remain concealed. It is for this he is compared to a Goldsmith who purifies Gold and Silver in the crucet; to a Captain, who tries the valour, dexterity and Courage of a Soldier; or rather to a Friend who neither promiseth nor bestows his Amity but after very Long trial. Behold doubtless what God did, when he tempted Abraham as the most faithful, most constant, and most affectionate person that lived in his time. Nevertheless I am troubled to say God can perform the office of a Temptor, since the least of his looks pierceth all the Clouds of future things, Nemo cum tentatur dicat, quia à Deo tentatur. Jacob. c. 1. epist. and that St. James in his Canonical Epistle saith in express terms that God can tempt no man, because he cannot be the Author of Evil. But this is to be ignorant in the nature of temptation, Ambros. lib. 1. de Abraham, cap. 8. Aug q. 57 in Genes●●. and to have never read St. Ambrose, St. Austin, and the major part of the Father's concerning this point, who sufficiently evidence, that there are blind and wicked temptations which cannot come from God, as also prudent and officious ones, which are as the shafts and stimulations of Love, or else like sounding plummets wherewith the extents and capacity of hearts are measured; so God knew but too well how great was the Love of Abraham, but it was requisite, that this Love should appear, and with arms in its hand, to acquire a force wholly new, and in a fresh combat. We must not wonder that God tempted Abraham, Exercise of faith, since this kind of temptation was but an excercise of his fidelity, and a trial of his affection: Exercitium fidei tentatio. D Ambr. in 8. Luc. Tentat vos Deus, ut sciatsi diligitis illum, Deut. 13. Just as the Masters in Academies, and Fencers in their schools, use to do, when by some sophism or feigned thrust they exercise the spirits, dexterity, and courage of their bravest scholars. I feel a horror nevertheless, Tentavit Deus Abraham, & dixit ad eum, Abraham, Abraham: at ille respondit, adsum. Gen. 22. v. 1. when I think of the matter on which God resolved to tempt Abraham; I tremble, and my Heart groans, when I hear him twice called by his name, and that all the Commissions which are given him tend but to the death of his Son. Abraham, Abraham, can it possibly be that this so sweet so amiable, and so Holy a Name must serve to summon thee to an office which appears so cruel, and unnatural, as the Murder of thy Son? Is it peradventure to carry thee more promptly to the execution of this sad decree that thou art twice called? Art thou deaf to the first words of thy God? or dost thou not perform readily enough what God commandeth? Art thou so fixed on thy Isaac that thou no longer thinkest on God? what is the matter? Art thou stupefied and hast neither Heart nor care for thy Master? Lord behold me here, saith Abraham, what is thy will? and where, and in what, may I manifest my Obedience and Love? There are many who have compliments enough in their Mouths, Fruitless Compliments. and offer, themselves freely enough, but if a Man must engage either life, goods, honour, or the least of his interests, he instantly retires, and his dearest friends remain without offers and effects. Let us examine whether Abraham's. Heart be of the same temper of those faint friends? God calls him, and he returns answers unto God? God calls him again, and he protests that he is ready to execute all his commands: much more; for this Holy Man never contradicted the least injunction God had laid on him; he left his Country, he forsook his Parents, and his life was but a voyage of Obedience, and an exile of Love. What can God desire more of him? This is yet not all God requires of him, and the trials, though too long and too harsh, God hitherto made of his fidelity, were but the Prologues of a combat which must be far more rigorous. Love is content to put a staff in his Hand to walk him through the World, but he immediately presents him with a Sword to undertake a dreadful Duel, though it be a Duel of Love. Well then, Abraham take your dear Isaac, Ait illi: tolle filtum tuum unigenitum quem diligis Isaac, & vade in terram visionis, atque ibi offeres cum in Holocaustum super unum montium quem monstravero tibi. Gen. 22. v. 2. this only Son, and this Amiable Child, on whom you fix all your hopes, and all your most solid contentments. Abraham, it is time to restore unto me the depositum I gave you; he is mine, I lent him to you, but now demand him back; and I command you to immolate him unto me, take him then without further delay, and from this instant go whither I shall conduct you. Is it not unto God alone the absolute power of command belongeth? and is it not the duty of Abraham to be silent and to perform without reply what God commands? But what, I beseech you, would a passionate Father say upon this occasion? would he not have some ground to say, if he had the same cause as Abraham? Alas, Lord, The Speech of a passionate Father who speaks for Abraham. where are the advantageous promises thou hast so often made me? Hast thou lost the remembrance of Abraham, Sara, and Isaac? Dost thou not take me for some other? or at least if thou lookest upon me as a Father, why dost thou enjoin me to perform so rigorous an office? I hambly beseech thee, my God, Semel be●tus es Deus. Psal. not to forget thy words and thy own self; remember that thy Mouth is as unchangeable as thy Heart, and that it is an injury unto the immutability of thy Essence, to alter the least of thy Decrees. How can we then believe that the Sacrifice of humane Bodies are detestable in thy sight if thou dost command them? whither will Innocency go to seek life, if thou Judgest an Innocent to death? what encouragement shall we have to serve thee, if thou thus treatest thy Servants? & what attractives will creatures have to love thee, if Massacres be the pleages of thy Love? for my part I am afraid lest the strongest spirits may revolt, and that the weak be scandalised at the instability of thy oaths; thou hast swern by thyself that my Isaac should be a spring of Grace, and behold how thou driest it up even when it is upon the point of becoming an Ocean of Benedicities. My God what shall I say unto my Son, when he shall entreat me to tell him the cause of his death? How shall I tie his hounds, when he shall embrace me? and if I have the Heart of a Father to love him, how can I have arms to kill him? Ah! surely no Man shall ever persuade me that a God, who is the another of Nature, will command me a streak which appears to me so unnatural; and should I assent, Sara would even snatch the weapon out of my hand, she would rather offer herself to serve as a Victim, than give way to the Sacrifice of her Son: Let us then no longer think of it, O my God, my Eyes would be dimmed with tears at the sight of my Ifaack, my Heart would burst into a thousand pieces at the dart of his affection, and my Hands could never be cleared of this stain, if I had once sullied them in the blood of my Son. My God, permit me rather to Sacrifice unto thee the Remnant of my old age, and receive rather this Soul which I have upon my Lips, and which is but too weary of the World; But as for Isaac, suffer a flower to grow which thou hast planted with thine own hand, and according to thy promises water it with thy Benedictions. What! An Abraham to Massacre an Isaac? A Father, the most Cordial, and the most affectionate of the World, to kill the most amiable and the most accomplished Son that hath ever been? A Father, who for the space of a hundred years hath expected a Son, to lose him in a moment? The preparation for his Marriage was already in my thoughts, and they show me an Altar, a Pile, and a Sepulchre for his Nuptial Bed. What rigour more inhuman? what Laws more barbarous? And what command more cruel can we figure to ourselves? My God pardon me, it is visible to me that I have erred, but grief even extorts these Blasphemies, and my Tongue betrays my Heart, I will speak then from benceforth with more respect; Give me I beseech thee the Eyes of a Tiger, the Teeth of a Wolf, and the Soul of a Lion, if thou wilt have me devour this Lamb; blind me lest I behold this Forehead, this Face, and these Eyes, on which my Love hath engraven his Picture. Lord I acknowledge my fault for having so often begged him of thee, my vows have been overviolent, my desires too importune, and I still feel an over-ardent fire in my Bosom; cast then into it a Deluge of Wormwood, to stifle such sweet ardours: However, if thou dost command me to be the Executioner of thy severest Judgements, and if thou absolutely desirest I should strike off my isaack's head, and that I should bury him in the fire, I beseech thee instead of a Sword put a Thunderbolt into my Hands, to the end at the same instant I shall give him the stroke of death, I may so him environed with the flames of thy severest Justice. Without doubt, this would be the discourse of a Father, whose Soul should be agitated with various passions, and the most part of these resentments are more proper for a Man whose Eyes Nature, Blood, the World, and Infidelity had snut against the purest lights of Heaven, than for Abraham who never followed other Torch than that of Divine Providence. Never then were such Sacrilegious Complaints, and shameful murmurs heard to issue forth of his Mouth, as daily proceed from Fathers and Mothers, who have nothing but worldly respects, and no other care but to erect upon the Cradle of their Children all the Trophies of their desires and hopes. Abraham wils but what God wils, The resignation of Abraham. and instead of following the Motives of Reason and humane discourses, he abandons himself into the arms of a perfect Obedience, and of that Faith which shown him Life even in the Bosom of Death. He was ready to immolate Isaac, and the Love he had for his God made him wish to himself a Destiny like that of his Son. This Man, saith Origen, was not astonished at the voice of so harsh a Command, he refused nothing, and took Counsel of no living Soul, resting content to obey his God. This Just Patriarch, saith St. Zenon, preferred the Love of the Creator before that of the Creature. And albeit a natural resentment tore his very Bowels and Heart, yet at the same time his Soul did Swim in the delights of a passion, which hath nothing in it but Supernatural; so that two Loves offered two Sacrifices, the one Immolated the Father, the other Sacrificed the Son. O Love, The Empire of Love. Love, delicious Tyrant, adorable Conqueror, Independent Monarch, how powerful are thy Darts when God casts them? What Power, what Victory, and what Command dost thou Exercise on the Heart of Abraham? whence come these dazzling Charities thou minglest with thy Killing shafts and with thy Consuming fires? My God, what Miracle of Power? what Prodigy of Faith? what Triumph of Constancy? a Heart without Motion, Eyes without Tears, a silent Tongue, a Father without regret, without grief, and without complaint upon the Tomb of one only and dearly beloved Son. This faithful Minister of the Will of God, would be much more grieved that other hands than his should be used, and that a Sacrificer should be sought elsewhere. The Spirit of Abraham is like a Rock in the midst of the Ocean, The Emblem of that Rock immob●●is. beaten with Waves, watered with Rain, subject unto Winds and Tempests; whatsoever happens always unmoveable, ever immutable. It is enough that God speaks; All comes from him, all is his, and all must return to him. It sufficeth Abraham, that God is the Master of Abraham and the Father of Isaac. It is enough that God is the King, the Master, and the Father of Abraham, and Isaac. It is in vain to be disquieted, since it sufficeth that God commands, and that whatever he enjoins be performed, and to live in the practice of this verity is to be in the Paradise of this World, and to enjoy Beatitude by anticipation. It is to row upon the sea as a vessel under the conduct of a Pilot who cannot be deceived; It is to be at court under the command of a most sage and powerful Prince, who seeks only to replenish us with his favours, or like a Star guided by an Intelligence, which cannot stray out of the way marked out unto it. Perform then, Abraham, all that God saith unto thee; and thou O my God command Abraham all that thou desirest. Is it his life thou requirest? It is thine. Is it that of Isaac? it is thyself who hast bestowed it on him, take them both. But O God of goodness! remember that Abraham is a Man, that he is a Father, that he hath but One Son, and that he Loves nothing in comparison of this Son; place not all these objects of Pity before his Eyes, rest sattisfyed in Sacrificing the Son without causing the death of the Father; lay some cover over the Fore head of the Priest, and over the Eyes of the Victim: And do not solicit the tenderness of either, and speak neither of Abraham nor Isaac, nor of the Father or Son; but pronounce the decree in most rigorous terms, and call no more upon the name of Sweetness and Love, for that were to solicit his disobedience. God nevertheless calls Abraham twice, Martyrdom of Love. and expressly commands him to Sacrifice his Son, and not only his Son, but also his Only Son, and to wound him yet more to the quick, he adds the name of his beloved Son, that is of Isaac. O God what shafts: what Thunderbolts? and what Lighting? In truth, saith Procopius, any one but Abrah●m had taken this advertisement from God for an illusion, or for a subject of contempt: But, as Abbot Gue●y hath excellently well noted, this venerable title of Father, and this amable name of Son, serve but to conjoin Love with Piety, and oblige Abraham to perform more religiously and cordially what was given him in charge. postea praepovat amorem Dei suo carnali emori, ut cum vintet gloriosier esset victoria. Hug● à S●ncto victore ann. in. 22. Gen. sint & in hoc parenti triplicata supplicia, etc. Origenes hic. Moreover, saith Huge of St. Victor, God recalled into his Thought that this was his Only Son, as if he had desired the more to excite his natural affection, to the end the Victory and Triumph might be the more famous, since the Love of God became Master of his heart: In fine, as the subtle and learned Origen concludes, God will have Abraham first sacrifice his Only Son, secondly his Only and Well-beloved Son, and thirdly his Only Son and his dear Isaac, as if he had meant by these three shafts of Love to have three Sacrifices, and three Conquests, of Obedience, Faith, and Love. Behold very powerful combats, and as many Strokes of death as words. Abraham did not yet change colour, and his face was as the Sun, which sees all the horrors of the Earth without emotion: his Constancy appeared in the midst of Passions, The Emblem of the fish. Immersabilis. Nec dolor patri lacrymas persuasit, sed exultat & gaudet. S. Zeno veron. serm. 1. de Abraham. like the Dolphin in a Tempest and storm, without danger of drowning. This Magnanimous Soul, this generous heart, and this obedient spirit, shed but tears of joy, and his thoughts were fixed only on Hope, Love, and Resignation. CHAP. XI. The Masterpiece of Obedience, and the Triumph of Love in the Sacrifice of Abraham. A Heart perfectly Submissive, and obedient unto God's will, S. Bernard. de praecepto, & dispensat. knows not what languishment, refusal, grief, and delay meaneth. It is enough that he is commanded to obey, all the rest is indifferent to him. And it is peradventure for this Cause, that even the civil Laws moderate the rigours of Justice, Just● home ad legem. Aquisiam. when we proceed against those who have acted in pure obedience; and in such a case, he is to be fallen upon, who gave the command, Provided Nevertheless he had the power to Command. Even so when it is the will of a Sovereign, all Subjects ought to Obey: And chief, when God, who is the absolute Monarch of the Universe, doth Command, nothing must appear under his Empire which adores not his Laws, and follows not his Lights even amidst the shadows of an affectionate Blindness. Such was Abraham, The Symbols of the Heliotropium. Non possum altò me vertere. Typ. in Symb. A solis ortu usque ad occasum. and his Spirit blind as it were amidst the Splendours of Faith and Obedience, resembled that Flower which incessantly courteth the Sun, and hath neither Life, Motion, nor Eyes, but from Morning till Evening to follow this Star. He sets forth as soon as God Commands him, and as if his Eyes had been shut against the Lights of the Day, he riseth in the Night, by the favour of those Lights and Rays, which God communicates unto him amidst the obscurities of the shades to serve him for a Watchtower, Sun and Day. This happy Parricide, as St. Austin saith, undertook the Murder of his Son with the same devotions where with he had demanded his Birth and Life: and lest the Morning, Devotus Pater eo voto suscepit paricidium, quo susceperat filium, Aug. Ser. 73. saith Rupertus, should prevent his desires, he risen before Day, and presently provided himself of all necessaries for his Journey, and for the Sacrifice of his Son. My God Igitur Abraham de nocte consurgens stravit asinum suum, ducens secum dues juvenes, & Isaac filium suum. Gen. 22. v. 3. what sad preparation and sorrowful departure! this poor old Man takes his Ass, and chose two or three of his Servants to go along with him; and having made up a Faggot of Thorns and Bushes with his own Hands, he laid them on the Shoulders of his dear Isaac. But what will Sara say? And what can she think when at her waking she shall find neither Abrahare nor Isaac? Poor Mother! what wilt thou do? Is it possible that Abrah●m could conceal a Design which cannot be kept from 〈◊〉? We must freely confess, that there are Souls of Gold, and Hearts of Diamond in Bodies of Crystal: It cannot be denied that there be Women as constant and courageous as Men; their Sex though frail, tender, and delicate, often brings forth Amazon's, who have nothing of Softness, Levity and Effeminacy, but the bare name. It cannot be also doubted but Sara was of this number, And I am confident if Abraham had made known to her the will of God, at the first news she herself would have performed the Office of a Sacrificer to immolate her Son. Nevertheless I will believe with the most part of the interpreters of Scripture, and of the Greek and Latin Fathers, that Abraham who might have discharged into her Bosom part of his afflictions, resolved to endure alone this Martyrdom of Love. He is then all alone upon the way with his Son and his two Servants, and he advanceth directly to Mount Moria as to the appointed place. My dear Reader, I leave unto thy imagination what passed for the space of three days this journey lasted; represent unto thyself, I beseech thee, that thou art with him, whom thou dost love above all men, thou seest him, thou speakest to him, thou drinkest to him, and sleepest with him, how will it be if at thy departure thou must see him die? and if thou thyself must present him the poison which is to stifle him? Husbands and Wives, Fathers and Mothers, Brothers, Kindred, Associates, Friends, what Torments? what despairs? what punishments? when you stand at the Beds Feet, where you shall behold your dearest affections, and your most pleasing delights in the Agony of death, what corabats, Duel of Grief and Love. and what Duels of Love, and Grief? what strength and resolutions to receive the last words and sighs of a dying Mouth, to which a thousand and a thousand chaste kisses have been given, and whose least breath was able to wipe away all sorts of sorrows? what Prodigy of constancy to close with your Hands two which served as suns in the saddest obscurities of Life, which is but too much intermingled with mourning and pleasure? In fine, how can we see with out dying, an other self at the point of death? Nevertheless, this was but the image of a dying life, Martyrdom for three days. which Abraham led for the space of three days; one would swear that God had undertaken to make him die ten thousand times upon this sad way; every glance of Isaac was a mortal Javelin, which pierced his Heart, and yet he must have him three times four and twenty hours before his Eyes; there was a necessity of eating, drinking, and speaking with him: were not these entertainments, and Feasts of Death? He was constrained during the night to lay on his Breast, and in his Bosom, that Head he was to cut off with his own Hands: was not this a murdering sleep and a cruel repose? In fine, he must render all the duties of a Father to so amiable a Son, before he was to be his Executioner, and he must needs hear almost every moment the voice of Isaac calling him Father, who went to murder him. My God what Preludes of death? what Preparation to a Martyrdom, what Dialogue of Passions? what affections, what dissimulations, what sorrows, what pleasures, what hopes, and what despairs? A Father, a Son, a Priest, a Victim, Wood, Fire, a Sword. isaack's Eyes and Heart are fixed on his Father, and Abraham lost not the sight of Isaac but to behold his God. At every step this poor old Man sends a sigh to Heaven to evaporate grief, which being shut up redoubles the more. Surely my Heart even bleeds upon the bare thought of this pitiful object. Alas! how could Abraham look on the criminal Sword which was to give the stroke: where did he carry this instrument of God's Justice? me thinks I hear Isaac at every stop saying, My Father and Abraham answering Son, take courage, Die autem tertio ete natis ocutis procul. Gen. 21.2.4. let us go my dear Child, we draw near to Moria. O God what vision and what approaches? Mountain of Moria hast thou no compassion, will not thy tops, thy rocks, and thy stones mollify rigours, at the sight of so tragic an act, and which seems so unnatural? Mountain of Moria become thou a plain rather than put this poor old Man, and this young Child to the trouble of ascending thy top, where they are going to erect an Altar, and hue a Tomb. But what! Nature cannot be sensible when her God deprives her of feeling, Aug. in ser. de temp. 71 existimat eundem faisse montem Moria qui Calvaria. and Moria must not have greater tendernessees than the Heart of Abraham; These Mountains make an essay of rigour at jacob's cost to become afterwards insensible at the death of a Jesus of whom Isaac was but an Image and figure. Let Abraham then perform resolutely the office of God the Father, and let not Isaac be ashamed with his own Blood, to mark out the way unto Jesus. Let Abraham take his Sword to strike off isaack's Head, and let Isaac take the Wood on his Shoulders which was provided to consume him, since Jesus hath carried the Cross on which he suffered. O God Dixitque ad pueros suos: expectate hic cum asino, ego & puer illuc usque properantes, postquam aderaverimus, revertemur ad vos. Gen. 22. v. 3. Tulit quoque ligna Holocausti, & imposuit super Isaac filium suum: ipse verò portabat in manibus ignem, & gladium, cumque duo pergerent simul, Gen. 22. v. 6. O Abraham! O Jesus! O Isaac! where is Sara? where is Mary? my God what Relatives are these? Abraham is already at the foot of the Mountain, he commands his Servants away, he takes his only Isaac, he loads him with the instruments of his punishment. Let us go my dear Child, let us go my Son, let us go my Isaac, my Joy, my Hope & my Love. Father whither do we go, Dixit Isaac Patri suo: Pater mi, at ille respondit, quid vis fili? Ecce inquit ignis, & ligna, ubi est Victima Holocausti? Gen. 22. v. 7. Dixitque Abraham, Deus providebit sibi victimam Holocausti fili mi, pergebant ergo pariter. Gen. 22. v. 7. answered Isaac? Alas what is your desire? I indeed see the Fire and the Sword which you carry, as also the Wood on my Shoulders, but where is the Victim, which must be offered as an Holocaust? My Son trouble not yourself; for God will provide one. O Holy! Piety where are the Bowels of a Father? Heaven and Earth where are we? my God how long will this storm endure? Whence comes this ebbing and flowing, which strikes so rudely on the Faith of a Father, and the Obedience of a Son. My God if thou desirest a Holocaust, give unto Abraham an other Victim than Isaac; how comes it to pass, that Abraham can observe the Law of the Hollocaust, which enjoins the Victim to be cut in pieces, and ordains, that the Members be disposed at the Altar taking their turns, to burn them afterwards and reduce them to ashes. Ah! there is no Father's Heart which can exercise so inhuman cruelties and so horrid and unnatural a Butchery on the Body of his Son. Vultures devour only the Flesh, Tigers leave at least the Bones, Wheels, Ironclaws and wracks do but tear the skin, and after all these punishments there are found relics of anguish and death, but the Holocaust consumes all, and reduceth the Body into ashes and dust. What will remain then of Isaac for Abraham to carry unto Sara, but ashes, dust, and the eternal regret for a loss that can never be repaired? Abraham notwithstanding persists in his fidelity, Et venerunt ad locum quem ostenderat ei Deus, in quo adificavit altar, & desuper ligna composuit, cumque alligasset Isaac filium suum posuit eum in altar super struem lignorum. Gen. 22. v. 9 he makes ready the Altar, he sets the Wood in order, he kindles the Fire, he draws his Sword out of the Scabbard, he takes Isaac into his arms, he placeth him near the pile, he ties his Hands, and puts the cover over his forehead; In fine, this Innocent Lamb being on both his Knees, his Body half naked, and his Head bowed a little forward sighing sweetly without making the least complaint, or demanding any more why, expected, the stroke of death when his Father (as it is very probable) began to acquaint him with the secret of his happy Lot. Isaac, my most dear Son, Joseph. lib. 1. hist. S. Ambr. & alii. thou didst ask me at the foot of the Mountain, where was the Victim of our Sacrifice, I answered thee, that God would provide one; his Paternal Goodness hath done it, and his will is that thou must be the Victim, and I the Priest: It is very true, that thou art the object of my sweetest hopes, and that I should look on thee as the support of my house; but it is in God we must place our only hope; It is he that serves for a Basis and Pillar to all fortunes, and it is his sage Providence, which holds in its hands good and evil, favours and disgraces, Life and Death. Dye then cheerfully my dear Child, and rest assured that I would willingly put myself in thy place, if God had so ordained. I adore his will, and I am too happy to serve as an instrument unto his commands? As for thee my poor Son, I had very constant proofs of thy sweet disposition, and, if I had not often tried how obedient and pliable thou art unto God's will and mine, I should endeavour more efficaciously to persuade thee; but it would be fruitless, and it is from God's goodness and thy constancy I hope for the Grace of being enabled to offer and immolate thee with my own Hands. What can Isaac say to this? it is enough for him to assent and be silent; I yet frame in my imagination, that he besought his Father to give him his Sword, that he might kiss it as the rod of the wise Providence of Heaven. I believe also he bowed down his Head a little more forward to testify that his thoughts accorded with his Heart, and that his most real affections were ready to be immolated unto God and his Father. In the mean while Abraham takes his Sword again into his Hand, and having bathed it with his tears, he lifts up his arm to discharge his blow upon the Neck of his Son. O Religious Soul, O religiosam animam, o fortem mentem, O trgens robur animi! utrum admirer, & obstrpescam sustius, fortemue spiritum Patriarchae, aut constantem pueri obedientram, Ch●yf. ho. in. Gen. 48. cries out St. Chrysostom, O vigorous Spirit, O prodigy of constancy and fidelity! I know not whether I ought more to admire the undaunted force of Abraham's Spirit; or the constant immutability of his isaack's Submission. But what will be the issue, will not all the Angels of Heaven who look upon this Sacrifice put some Victim in isaack's place? divine Spirits, I call on you for Abraham and Isaac. Ah! saith St. Austin, Videte Abraham non cum aliqua ferâ luctantem, sed cum natura pugaantem, decotio dicebat pecute, pietas clamabat parce, illa revocabat, issa provocabat. Aug. Ser. 73. the temp. behold I beseech you the conflict of Abraham, not with a furious Beast, but with Nature. Religion bids him strike, and pity saith, do not strike, the first lifts upon his Hand, and the other stays his arm: what will this good Man do? what will he not do; if he obeys not God, he commits Sacrilege, and if he obeys, he is a Murderer. But is it not better for him to be accounted a good Father, than a good Servant? And will not Abraham's Disobedience be rather excused than the Murder of his Son? Abraham believed otherwise, and the choice he made was to lose the quality of a Pitiful Father, to receive the title of an Obedient Servant. Nevertheless he still hopes, and is assured whatever happen that God is too full of Clemency to leave him in extremity. In effect, as Abraham had already lifted up his arm, Et ecce Angelus Domini de Caelo clamtvit dicens, Abraham, Abraham, qui respondit adsum. Gen. 22. v. 11. Dixitque ci, non extendas manum tuam super puerum, neque sacias illi quidquam nunc cognovi quod limes Deum, & non pepercisti unigenito tuo propter me. Gen. 22. v. 12. and was ready to dart the Thunderbolt God had put into his Hand, the Voice of an Angel cries out, Abraham, Abraham, I command thee from God not to touch the Child, and to pass no farther. It is certainly the very same that commanded Abraham to strike, who stays his blow; It is the Voice, it is the Angel and Nuntio of our Lord which keeps back his Arm. And surely, it was requisite that the same power, which before had armed him, should force the Weapon out of his Hand, and that Abraham should have as much promptitude and resignation, to leave his Sacrifice, as to undertake and begin it. O God what mysteries of Wisdom, Clemency and Goodness? My God what Trials of Love, what Essays of Fidelity, and what grounds of Hope and Confidence? have we ever seen so many temptations heaped together, so many Artifices to know a Heart, and so many divine experiments upon poor Mortals? so that the whole Sacrifice of Abraham was but a stratagem of God's Providence, and a Masterpiece of Abraham's and isaack's Obedience. The Altar of Moria which was to be the Scaffold of Death, became the Theatre of Life, and his Pile served but to make a Bonfire of Joy, and a triumph of the fidelity which Abraham and Isaac testified unto God. Besides, I know not who was most astonished, the Father or the Son; however it were, Abraham unbound his Isaac, and then they both together adored the admirable contrivances of God's goodness who did tear out a Man's Heart to put his own in the place of it, A Divine Stratagem. and who commands us to give him a mortal and perishable life, that he may place us in the fruition of one eternal and immortal. It is sufficient for this God of Clemency and mercy, to see Men at his Feet; he is content with that Sacrifice which the Heart offers to him, and he will have neither Blood nor Murder presented on his Altars. It satisfies him to immolate his only Jesus for the ransom of Mankind: His Death gives us Life, and the least drop of his sacred Veins is able to wash away all the stains of the Universe. Stay then Abraham; Levavit Abraham oculos suos, viditque post tergum arietem, inter vepres haerentem cornibus quem assumens obtulit Holccaustum profilio. the blow is reserved for some other not for thy Son, and it only belongs to the Eternal Father to offer the Sacrifice in verity, the figure whereof hath preceded. No, it shall not be Isaac, thou must immolate but this Ram, which thou seest in this Bush surrounded with Brambles, and Crowned with thorns, take him, and burn this Victim, till a Man-God come in isaack's place. It is enough for me, saith God unto Abraham, to know that thou lovest me, and I can now no longer doubt, after so long and sensible trials. It is the Hand and not the Mouth which hath given me the assurance of it; It is also rather by effects than compliments that I try thy fidelity. O God of Hearts, it is then in verity that Hearts must be Sacrificed to thee. Fathers and Mothers, if God will have your Children, make a free gift of them; if God be content with you, offer yourselves unto him. My God I will even now then consecrate my Heart to thee: I renounce at present all those things I may not Love with thee; I present unto thee the Sacrifice of my humiliated Spirit, and I refuse no pain if thou ordainest it for me; Burn, Sacrifice, and spare neither Health, Honour, Riches, Children nor Friends; I am even content to Immolate my Isaac to thee, that is my Soul, my Affections, and my Life, provided I may Live with thee and Love thee in Glory and Eternity. CHAP. XII. The Death of Sara. A Certain person holily curioius, went heretofore examining all that is dispersed in Nature; I asked, saith he, of the Sun, whether he were a God, and he answered me no, in regard he was subject to Eclipses, Circumvolutions, Vicissitudes, Gen. 22. v. 13. and a thousand periods which keep him in a perpetual mutation. Inconstancy of created things. I entreated the Moon to tell me whether she were a Divinity, and she protested to me no, by reason of Exiles, Defections, Retrogradations, Ascendants, Conjunctions, Separations, Elevations, and falls to which she is liable. All the rest of created Nature will confess the same if we interrogate her in particular, upon this verity; God only can say, I am God, and I neither can nor do change, because I am God. He is in the midst of the World as the Centre in a Circle, about which all is in motion; he is as a Rock upon the Ocean, who beholds the Waves and Billows rolling under his Feet, without inconstancy and astonishment. He is pleased nevertheless to see those he loves in the Flux and Reflux of a thousand accidents, which teach them, that their fortunes, hopes, affections and delights may alter every moment; that the most smiling prosperities often swim amidst tears; the clearest and most serene days are followed sometimes by the obscurest and most dusky Nights: Bodies for Companions have their own Shadows, Roses are mixed with Thorns, and even the Life of Man never Ends but in Death. To see Abraham, Sara, and Isaac, after their deliverance, and the trial's God had of their fidelity, would not one have believed them almost immortal and exempted from all the miseries of life? Tunc est tentatio fiaienda, quando finitur & pugna, & tunc finienda est pugna, quando post hanc vitam succedit pugnae secura victoria. S. Prosper. lib. 3. the cont. vitae. And yet scarce were they returned to their own home, but Abraham and Isaac met with a new occasion of grief for the Death of Sara; And no wonder, saith St. Prosperus, since the Life of Man is a War without truce, and since we ought not to hope or expect Peace but in the Tomb. And indeed, as Hildebert hath well noted, it is not without reason that these storms succeed one another, Attend miscrias hominis, intuere cineres vectigalia peccati sunt. S. Hild. Ep. 56. and that usually one vapour draws others, by reason the Earth since the contagion of the terrestrial Paradise, hath been a fatal source of Miseries and Calamities, which took their birth from the first sin of our unfortunate Parents, who left unto their Children for an inheritance and punishment a chain wrought with all sorts of infelicities. This yoke than is common to all Men, and there is no person, whom God hath not subjected to the Laws of this sad Captivity. The strictest unions must break, the sincerest friendships must have an end, and even Marriages themselves of which God was the sacred knot, must at length make a Tragic Divorce upon a Bed which is the most common Theatre of the blind furies of Death. We ought to confess nevertheless that it is a spectacle able to excite the Constancy of a good Courage, when we shall behold this unmerciful Murderess which snatcheth away Daughters out of their Mother's Bosoms, and Sons in the sight of their Fathers, and Wives between the Arms of their Husbands. In such a case, if Nature had not some tenderness, she would be unnatural, and we must have Hearts of Marble not to be touched with some sense of grief and pity: Abraham had then just cause to testify by his tears, the regret he had for his dear Sara's Death; Vixit autem Sara centum viginti septem annis. Gen. 23. v. 1. And surely since he lost so rare a blessing, well might he disconsolatly bewail it. This mourning was not yet , and he was very careful not to do like those, who bury all their affections in the preparation of a Funeral pomp, and who have but a shadowed mien, or else not being able sufficiently to disguise their looks, strive to hid under the Veils and shadows of a Bed or dark Chamber, the shame of their insensibility. Abraham shed more tears from his Heart, Et mortua est in civitate Arbee quae est Hebron in terra Chanaan, venitque Abraham ut plangeret & fleret eam. Gen. 23. v. 2. than by his Eyes, and in rendering all duties to Nature and his Wife, he most amply satisfied God, and his own piety: while he was a Pilgrim and stranger in the Land of Canaan, Sara being Dead in the City of Hebron, he went directly into the place where his Wife's Body reposed. There he offered up his Prayers unto God, and kissed a thousand times these amiable relics, watering them from time to time with his tears. All those who assisted this Holy Man, might well perceive the tears which distilled from his Eyes, and hear the groans which issued forth of his Mouth; But God alone knows the Acts of resignation. He presently entreated Ephron to sell him a double Cave which was close by the vale of Mambre to inter Sara in that place. Ephron is willing to grant what he asketh; but being at last as it were enforced to take a sum of Money for the purchase of his Land, Abraham became Master of the Field and Grot in which he laid the Body of his dear moiety. It is in this monument where the most generous Woman of her time reposeth; Atque ita sepelivit Abrahum Saram uxorem suam in spelunca 〈◊〉 duplici. Gen. 23. v. 19 And under this Rock of Diamond will be found a Diamantine Heart in the Body of Sara, who was a perfect pattern of Constancy and Fidelity. CHAP. XIII. The Marriage of Isaac with Rebecca, and the Death of Abraham. THe World is a Theatre on which very different actions are seen. There Voluptuousness smiles, and Grief hath tears in its Eyes; Hope flies in the imbaulmed Air, and Despair plungeth itself into an Abyss of Gall and poison; Love and Sweetness catch Men in Nets wrought by the Hands of the Graces, and on the contrary Hatred and Envy assassinate the Hearts of Men with enchanted Darts. A Bloody Amphitheatre. In fine, whilst Life is sowing on all sides, Death mows down all before her. Behold the common objects of the World, pleasures, sorrows, hopes, despairs, loves, envies, furies, flatteries, Marriages, solemnities, life, death, birth, a Chaos of disorder, a Labyrinth of unions and divorces, which make the course of this life, but a list and Theatre where all we can imagine is to be seen. Have we not beheld all this in the life of Abraham? This poor Man than was in the Hands of God and Providence, as a feather in the Air, which serves for sport unto the Winds, and as a Planet in the Heavens, which never rests, or as a Wheel in the Water, which is always turning and in a continual motion: God led him out of Chaldea, Mesopotamia, Canaan and Egypt; from thence he causeth him to return unto the Cunanites, where he stays for some time in the City of Sichem, sometime in that of Hebron, afterwards in Gerara, and then in Bershabe, and again in Hebron, as if he could not live but in Travelling, during whose Voyages Heaven is pleased to afford him a thousand Combats, and as many occasions of Victory. In fine, after the deliverance of his Son, ●rat antem Abraliam senex, dierumqtie multorum, etc. Gen. 2●. v. 1. ●orrvaque ad servom seniorem Domus suae qui praeerat omnibus quae Dabebat: pone manum tuum sulter s●mur meum, Gen. 24. v. 2. adjurem teper Dominum Deum Caela & terrae, ut non accipias u●o●em filio meo de filithus Chananaeorum inter quos habito. Gen. 24. v. 3. Sed ad terram, & cognationem meam praficisearis, & inde accipias u●●orem filio meo Isaac. Gen. 24. v. 4. and the death of his Wife, he feeling himself wholly broken with old age, and upon the point of following the happy Lot of Sara, resolved to seek a Wife for Isaac, and for that end he calls one of the most faithful Servants of his House called Eliezer, and having commanded him to lay his Hand under his Thigh, he conjured him by the name of God to seek a match for his Son in the Land of Haram, as if this Country had inherited from Cham, its first Lord, the malediction which Noah had fulminated against him. Which being done, this wise Ambassador chosen amongst the Domestics of Abraham, began his journey to execute the designs and Commission of his Master, Posuitergo servus manum subsemore Abraham Domini sus, etc. Gen. 24. v. 9 Tult quc decem Camelos degrege Domini sui & ●biit ex omnibus honis esus portans secum, prof●●tusque pervexit in Mesopotamiam ad urse 'em Nachor. Gen. 24. v. 10. and departing from Bershabe he went directly to Mesopotaneia carrying with him ten large Camels loaden with the rarest and most magnificent presents which were in Abraham's House. Behold him then in the City of Nachor meditating with himself upon all the readiest and most facile means to expedite what had been given him incharge. What will he do? First he departs out of the City and repairing where Women in their turns were wont to draw Water, Cumque Camelos fecisset accumbere extra op illum juxta puteū aquae, etc. Gen. 24. v. 11. he there rests his Camels, expecting until Heaven should offer the opportunity he desired. During this expectation he offered up his prayers unto God, saying, Lord God of Abraham, Dominus meus Demini met Abraham, occur obsecro milu hodie, & fac mise●●cordiam cum Domino meo Abraham. Gen. 24. v. 12. Ecce ego sto prope fontem aquae, & filiae habitatorum hujus Civitatis egredientur ad hauriendam aquam. Gen. 24. v. 13. Igitur puella cui ego dixero: inclina hydriam tuam, ut bibam, & illa responderit, bibe, quin & Camelis tuis dabo potum: ipsa est quam praeparasli servo tue Isaac, etc. Gen. 24. v. 14. Nec dum intra se verba compleverat, & ecce Rebecca egrediebatur, habens bydriam in scapula sua. Gen. 24. v. 15. Occurritque ei ser vus, & ait: pauxillum aquae mihi ad bibendum praebe de hydria tua. Gen. 24. v. 17. Quae respondit, bibe Domine mi, etc. Gen. 24. v. 18. Ipse autem contemplebatur eam tacitus, etc. Gen. 24. v. 21. cast I beseech thee some propitious and favourable look upon the designs of my Master; Great God take pity of Abraham thy faithful Servant, it is by his appointment I am in these territories, I expect here but the hour when the Maid shall come to draw Water out of this Fountain; If then, My God, thou dost give me this advice, I resolve to entreat the first which shall approach it, to afford me some Water to drink, if she grant me this favour, by this Sign I shall presently believe, that it is doubtless she, whom thy holy Providence hath appointed for isaack's Spouse. Scarce had Eliezer ended this Coloquie, when a Maid called Rebecca appeared, fair and chaste as the Day, who carried under her Arm and Earthen Pitcher to take up Water, Eliezer presented himself, humbly beseeching her to afford him some drink, to which Rebecca presently assented performing all that Courtesy and Charity required. The holy Scripture observes, that Eliezer very seriously contemplated all the actions of Rebecca, as being a Mirror, in which he was to discern the marks of Gods conduct concerning Abraham and Isaac. In fine, Pollquam autem biberunt Cameli, protulit vir inaures aureas appendentes ciclos duos, & armill as toticem poudo ciclorum decem. Gen. 24. v. 22. Dixitque ad eam: cujus es filia? indica miht: est in domo Patris tui locus ad manendum? Gen. 24. v. 23. Cueurrit itaque puella, & nunttavit in domum matris suae omnia quae audierat. Gen. 24. v. 28. Habebat autem Rebecca fratrem nomine Laban, qui festinus egressus est ad hominem ubi erat sons. Gen. 24. v 29. Et intreduxit eum in hospititem, etc. Gen. 24. v. 32. this prudent Man chose a fit time to present unto Rebecca some Earrings and Bracelets. Afterwards he informed himself of the conveniences which were in the House of this Maids Parents who spoke unto him. Being then well instructed concerning the alliances of Rebecca, and what was in her House, seeing also that all corresponded with his desires, he threw himself on the ground to render thanks unto his God, and to adore his ineffable goodness toward Abraham. Mean while Rebecca hastens to her Parents to bring them the first news of what had passed, whereof her Brother whose name was Laban, having taken notice, he went presently unto the Well from whence Rebecca came. Finding Eliezer, he most affectionately entreated him to visit his Father's House, and having conducted him thither, he immediately gave Hay and Straw to his Camels, afterwards he washed his Feet, as also the Feet of those who came with him. Then Eliezer took occasion to publish the Commission which had been given him, and the artifices he had used to bring them to a Head, and to understand whether it were the will of God that Rebecca should be isaack's Wife. Eliezer could not doubt it, and Rebecca but too much testified by her silence that her desires consented thereunto. Bathuel and Laban were also of this opinion, Respondernntque Laban & Bathuel, à Domino egressus est sermo, etc. Gen. 24 v. 50. Quod cum audisset puer Abraham, etc. Gen. 24. v. 52. Prolatisque vasis argenteis, etc. Igitur Rebecca & puellae illius asconsis Camelis, etc. Gen. 24. v. 61. and therefore they were to dispose themselves to the commands of God. The promise then of Marriage being given on both sides; Eliezer made presents to Rebecca and her Brethren; after this there was nothing but Feasts and adieus to the kindred of this new promise; briefly some Days must be spent in rendering those duties which Honour and Nature required. At last Rebecca took leave of her Mother and Brethren, she with Eliezer and his servants got up upon Camels, and they advanced with the best diligence they could to arrive at Abraham's House. Isaac, who was always in expectation, Eo tempore deambulavit Isaac, etc. Gen. 24. v. 62. Cumque elevasset oculos vidit Camelos. Gen. 24. v. 63. Rebecca quoque conspecto Isaac descendit de Camelo. Gen. 24. v. 64. Servus autem cuncta quae gesserat narravit Isaac. Gen. 14. v. 66. Qui introduxit eam in tabernaculum Sarae matru suae, etc. Gen. 24. v. 67. Abraham verò aliam duxit uxorem nomine Ceturam. Gen. 25. first received the news of Rebecca's arrival. I leave to your thoughts what Joy, what kisses and what embraces. However it were, Rebecca is brought into the same apartment which Sara had while she lived, and immediately the Marriage of Isaac with Rebecca was accomplished according to the Ordinances of Heaven, and the desires of Abraham, who after this Marriage took a Wife called Ketura, by whom he had six Children, who served to carry their Father's Name and Blood through numerous Generations. Moreover, amongst all their Children Isaac is the Master of the House, and Heir to all the possessions of Abraham. I leave men to think as they please in what Ocean of delights Abraham's Heart did Swim, Deditque Abraham cuncta quae possederat Isaac. Gen. 25. v. 6. seeing all the Graces wherewith God had filled him; I am astonished why he died not a thousand times for Joy at the sight of Isaac and his dear Wife, who had no affections but for God, for him, and for the general good of his family. But Abraham must render unto nature the ordinary tribute due unto her. Et deficiens mortuus est in senectute bona, provect aeque aetatis, & plenus dierum. Gen. 25 v. 8. Sep●lierurt eum Isaac, & Ishmael filii●fui. Gen. 25. v. 9 This happy old Man, this Father of all the faithful, this King of Nations, this incomparable Patriarch, having lived like a Pilgrim upon Earth was obliged at last to arrive at the Haven, and to die in the arms of Isaac and Ishmael, who buried him in the same place where his Wife was interred. End of the second Book. THE HOLY HISTORY, FIRST TOME. JACOB and ESAU. THIRD BOOK. CHAP. I. Their Birth. THere are many Causes, Fernelius Path. lib. 6.3.17. according to the saying of Physicians, which may hinder the fruitfulness of a Woman. There needs but an accident, and too violent, too obstinate, and sharp a Malady to corrupt the humours, to burn, and to dry up all the vital Spirits, and make a cruel havoc in the principal parts of the Body, where obstructions, skirrusses, Impostumes, and distempers which divert the course of Generation, are formed. This is that which rendered the most illustrious Women of the old Testament Barren; And Rebecca amongst others, was so, for the space of nineteen years, Theodoretue. 74. q. ●. Gen. as Theedoret hath well observed, but by a particular disposition of the Divine Providence which would manifest unto all men, that the multiplication of the Children of Israel, was not so much the work of Nature as of Grace. This hindered not Isaad from being much astonished, seeing Gods promises to him unaccomplished; yet his Constancy was not shaken but he appeared always the worthy Son of Abraham: These Verbal ejaculations of his Mouth were agreeable to the sentiments of his Soul, and he had no other Weapons to assault Heaven, and render it favourable and propitious, than Prayers, and Vows which he incessantly presented unto God in the behalf of his Wife, who never ceased on her part to demand the Birth of a Son: where it is to be noted with St. Thomas, S. Thom. 1. p. q. 23. art. 8. & Thom. Anglicus in cap. 25. Gen. that although God had engaged his word unto Isaac, and though Isaac could not doubt of the assurances which had been given him, yet it was necessary to solicit this Promise, and implore God to perform what he had promised; for albeit God had from all Eternity ordained the Children of Isaac, yet this Engagement was not so absolute, that it did not presuppose some endeavours on isaack's part, by which his expectation was to obtain its effect. This is the reason why St. Thomas did observe in the design of God, and in the predestination of Creatures, first an Eternal design, and next an Effect, which followeth at the same time God hath ordained. Efficacious Prayers. This first design conceived from all Eternity, is Independent of Vows and Prayers; but the Effects of his Divine Ordinances are therein totally united, because God hath predestinated them by the intervention of concurrent causes which are as it were the voices which soilicite and call upon the sage Providence and the ineffable goodness of God. At the request then of Isaac Heaven was obliged to grant that at last, which along time before God had promised him; and in effect behold Rebecca great with Child and ready to lie down. But as the pleasures of the World are not durable, so she quickly feels the appreaches of her labour; They are no other than pains and throws, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Id est colluctabantur Scholiastes ex Symmacho (Rasas) Hebr. confringere, Oleaster. and her womb seemed to be a thick Cloud of thunders, and a Field of Ba●●tail, in which two little Children begin an intestine War against each other, which cannot end but by the destruction of the Mother, or the death of her Children. O God Collidebantur in utero ejus parvuli, quae aim si sic mihi futurum erat quid necesse suit conciperei Gen. 25 v. 22. what punishment (saith this poor woman) what assaults? what torment? from whence come these Vultures and Tigers which even tear my Bowels, and make a bloody Butchery in my Womb? Ah God why did I conceive if this misfortune must befall me? Tyrannical desire! disastrous ambition: disloyal vanity! whither hast thou precipitated me? my God what torture, what torment, and what a Martyrdom is it to be a Mother? Alas! we conceive not, but amidst momentary pleasures, we bear Children in our Womb as the Sea doth Fishes in the midst of Storms. We bring them forth like Amber and Pearls amidst Lightnings and Tempests, like Pelicans we Nurse them up with Tears and Blood, and after all these pains and cares, they prove Wolves and Vipers, which have only Teeth and Claws to eat even into the Bones of their Parents. Was it not for this reason, Marry Stuart. a wise Queen of Scotland called Marriage a conflict between Grief and Love? Mar ages subject to many mafortunes. yes surely, many of them are but a Duel, a Martyrdom, and a Life where affections run the first Career, but presently after either disdains, hatreds, contempts, furies, jealousies, and finally all difasters are in continual motion: Sometimes it is a Sword, S. Greg. Nys. lib. de virg. c. 23. as St. Gregory saith, whose Hilt is guilded, and the rest but a Murderous Blade, and the most common Instrument of Death. The chaste Rebecca but too soon received the first wounds, and the languishments of her sterility sufficiently taught her for the space of twenty years how true it is. This nevertheless was but an essay until she came to feel the struggling of two fencers of whom she had scarce conceived, but immediately they began to tear the most tender and delicate parts of her body. These preludes of death were so sensible, that she clearly discerned that it was more than a human hand which gave her so harsh Combats. She immediately then had recourse unto God, and perceiving that men could not help her, she consulted with the Oracles of Heaven. I will believe, with Theodoret, that to this effect she kept herself for some days out of noise and tumult, knowing that it is almost impossible to hear the voice of God amist the clamours and outcries of Men: Or at least as the Author of the Scholastical history affirms, this virtuous woman ascended the Mountain of Moria to offer sacrifice upon the same Altars Abraham had erected; where, conformable to the opinion of St. chrysostom, it seems more probable that she took no counsel but of Melchisedeck, who was yet living in her time, and the Interpreter of Gods will. However it were, Perrexitque ut consuleret dominum. Gen. 25. v. 22. Qui respondens ait: duae gentes sunt in utcro tuo, & duo populi ex ventre tuo dividentur, populusque populum superabit & Major serviet Minori. Gen. 25. v. 3. David Chimbi in cap. 34. Jsaiae & Rabbi Solomon in 4. Thren. Aug. lib. 16. de Civit Dei c. 25. she consulted God●; and God answered her, that she bore too Nations in her womb, and that two people should issue forth of her bowels, one of which should triumph over the other, and the Elder be slave unto the Younger. O God what Mysteries under this answer? I know that the Jews and Rabbi Solomon amongst others, unfolds these shadows in favour of his Nation, but these are no other than fables refuted by most of the Fathers, and amongst the rest by St. Jerome who discovers the rours of the Talmud, and lays open the dreams of the Hebrews who would confound the Romans & the Idumeans. True it is then that Jacob and Esau, as St. Austin affirms, were the figures of the Christian and Hebrew people meant by this Prophecy; And at present there is scarce any place in the World, where Christianity hath not raised her Crosses as so many Trophies upon the ruins of Judaisme and impiety; David vanquished Edom, saith Rupertus, and Jacob though the Younger, supplanted Esau who was his Elder Brother. For this reason Jacob received his name; Jam tempus pariendi advenerat, & ecce gemini in utero eius reperti sunt. Gen 25. v. 24. Qui prior egressus est, rufus erat, vocatum est nomen ejus Esau: protinus alter egrediens plantam fratritenebat manu, & idcirco appellavit cum Jacob. Gen. 25. v. 25. for as his Elder Brother was styled Esau because his whole Body was covered with rough Hair; so Jacob was called, Jacob, because at the issuing forth of his Mother's Womb he held Esau by the sole of his Foot, to testify that he would supplant him? Is not this an early beginning to War with each other, since in their Mother's Womb they began the intestine Duel? Now their Birth is but amidst surprises and strifes, where the one labours to become Master of the other. I leave then to your thoughts what the rest of their lives may be, and what assaults these two little Soldiers gave each other even to death. What ever happens, Jacob shall be vanquisner; For Heaven is on his side, and the supplanting of Esau shall rather proceed from the Hand of God than that of Jacob. It is not then the office of Jacob to supplant his Brother, and to ruin the fortune of his most intimate friends. They that contrive such designs, are not the Imitators of Jacob, but the Disciples of Cain. Jacob followed only the Instinct of the Divine Providence, Supplanting Brothers. and Brothers for the most part regard nothing but humane prudence, and blind interests, which convey Impiety into their Souls, Treasons into their Mouths, Venom into their Hearts, and Weapons into their Hands to assault blood and nature, and to confound all Humane and Divine Laws. But alas! what strife? what victory? what triumph? when the Crowns we gain are but Roses stained with Blood, and Laurels which whither in a moment, and transform themselves into eternal Thorns. It is not for this prize Jacob so ught in his Mother's Womb, but he assaults and supplants Esau for the purchase of Immortal Crowns. CHAP. II. The Education of Esau and Jacob, and the shameful sale he made of his right of Primogenture. SCarce hath the return of the Sun chased away Night, and Darkness, but the Aurora shows on its Horizon, Image of Man's life. what the Day would be at high Noon and in its Evening. It is an Image of Man's Life, who usually at his Birth gives assured marks what he will be even till death; he bears on his Forehead and Body (saith Pythagoras) a Divine Impression, which is even against his will the visible Character of his Soul, and Disposition. In vain is it for him to feign and dissemble; his Eyes are living mirrors in which all the Cogitations of his Heart are discovered; the Horoscope, as we see by daily experience, is form not only of Men, but also of Children, and oft times the very Cradles and Swath-bands give out Oracles touching their adventures and destinies. We need not be overmuch versed in Physiognomy, Assured marks of our disposition. to foretell what Esau would prove; for in his Birth he gave so many evident signs, as we cannot be ignorant of his future inclinations. Totus in morem. pellis hispidus. Gen. 25. v. 25. His Body Hairy like a Bear, could not be animated but by the soul of a Beast; his Eyes, his Hair, his Skin, and all that appears exteriorly was too frightful and ardent to be the Element of Meekness and Humanity. In fine, from his very Childhood all his inclinations seemed so brutish, that we cannot wonder if he being in the flower of his age, Quibus adultis factus e●t Esaii pergnarus venandi & homo agricola. Gen. 25. v. 27. his most usual entertainments and most serious exercises were to ramble over the Fields and lead a savage Life, which besides the exercises of Tilling the Earth and Hunting (which of themselves are commendable) gave him but the employment of a Wolf or a Vulture. Jacob on the contrary had only the qualities of a Dove, Jacob autem Vir simplex halitabat in cabernaculis. Gen. 25. v. 27. and his Heart had less Gall than a Lamb. He went scarce ever out of the House, and shown so much simplicity, sweetness, and moderation, as but to see him a Man was constrained to Love him. Notwithstanding Isaac had more violent inclinations towards his Eldest Son; Isaac amabat Es●ii, to quod de venaniovibus ejus vesceretur. and herein Interests were more prevalent, than Reason: For this Love was only grounded upon Esau's constant custom in bringing him every Day some piece of Venison. The Love of Rebecca, Et Rebecca deligehat Jacob. Gen. 25 v. 28. who preferred Jacob before Esau, was then more wise and considerable. This prudent Woman saith St. Cyril, had no passion but for the goodness and virtue which shined in the behaviour of her Son; she accorded her Heart to the Words of God, and most tenderly Loved him, to whom God promised more Favours; that is to say, as Procopius observes, this virtuous Mother framed her Will unto the impulses of Heaven, and her inclinations followed the assistance of this Intelligence, which is the Dart and stimulation of the purest affections. We must grant then that Isaac had thoughts somewhat too humane toward Esau: But Rebecca was a good Mother who rendered unto Jacob those duties which his sweet disposition deserved, and as soon as he came into the World she had inclinations suitable to the goodness which appeared in him, and endeavoured with her Milk to infuse into his manners all that could render him most amiable and accomplished. It is also particularly from Mothers (as heretofore said one of the seven Sages of Greece) that Good and Evil flows into the Souls of those to whom they give Suck: Hence it ariseth that Nurses are sought out with so much care in the Houses of Great Men, Advantage of good Education. for fear lest by some defect of Nature, the Milk become corrupted and converted into poison. This happens but too often, and experience teacheth us, that Children from the Breast suck their most Malignant inclinations; and afterwards as Childhood, which is most susceptible of good and evil, is usually spent under the wings of Mothers; so we ought not to wonder if they be the sources from whence Spring those humours which are generated with Education. Such was the belief of the Romans seeing the Cruclties of their Emperor Caligula, Dio Cassius. who was Nursed by a Woman who had a Beard like a Man, and who had nothing sweet in her but her Milk; And on the contrary France acknowledged the blessing of the Sanctity of Lewis the Ninth, whom his Mother Blanch had made as it were to suck Virtue with his Milk. There are no Palaces, no Cortages, no Houses in the World where we shall meet with families and communities without seeing examples and proofs of this verity. Moreover we must not imagine that Fathers are therefore more exempt from those Duties which Education requireth, Oblation of Fathers and Mothers. than Mothers. For they can equally cause Vices to flow into the Souls of their Children. It will proceed saith St. Parents sensimus paricidas. Cypr. de lapsis. Cyprian from Fathers and Mothers that their Children shall complain in the Day of Judgement, and cry out upon the Brink of the Abyss that their Parents have been their Murderers. Isaac then would have deserved more commendation, if he had had less indulgent affections, and less interressed, towards Esau. But I will believe, that if Rebecca should have presumed to reveal the secrets wherewith God had entrusted her by the means of some good Inspirations, he would have had, like her, more affection for the Younger than the Elder Brother. However it were, the Liberty Isaac gave to Esau of running all the Day long through Woods and Forests, was the occasion which brought him to his first misfortune: Coxit autem Jacob pulmentum, ad quem cum venisset Esaü de apro lassus, Gen. 25. v. 29. For this poor Chaser coming one Day weary and Hungry from hunting, and meeting with Jacob who had caused some Pulse to be sod, he entreated him to give him a share of it; to which Jacob willingly agreed, Ait: da mibi de coctione hac rufa, quia oppido lassus sum. Gen. 25. v. 31. Cui dixit Jacob: vend mibi primogeni. ta. Gen. 25. v. 31. Ille respondit: en morior, quid mibi proderunt primogenita. Gen. 25. v. 32. Ait Jacob: Jura ergo mihi, juravit ei Esau, & vendidit primogenita. Gen. 25. v. 33. Et sic accepto pane, & lentis edulio, comedit & bibit, & abiit, parvipendens quod primogenita vendidisset. Gen. 25. v. 34. upon Condition he would yield up to him his right of Primogeniture. Alas! I die for very hunger answered Esau, what will this Right avail thee after my death? if it be so replied Jacob, take an oath that thou wilt give it me; Well, in truth than I swear it (saith Esau) and I acknowledge thee in quality of my Elder Brother: whereupon this poor wretch took immediately Bread and Pulse from his Brother's Hand, little valuing the loss he had made of the first advantage wherewith God and Nature had favoured him. What Infamy! what Ingratitude! and what Impiety! Can a man represent unto himself so weak an act as to part with the singular Favours of God for a bit of Bread? Is there any Ingratitude more Enormous, than to misprise the gifts of Nature? and is it not a Sacrilege and Simony to sell his Priesthood for a Mess of Pottage? In fine, is it not to be hungerstarved even unto rage to swallow with the Pulse the right of his Primogeniture, which was one of the most Illustrious qualities a man could possess in his Family. It was this brutish appetite which desolated the Terrestrial Paradise, which consumed Sodom, The disasters of Gluttony. which daily devours the Wealth of the richest and most Illustrious Houses. It is the Well of the Abyss, the Cistern of Babylon, and the Gulf of Heil. The Air, the Earth, and the Sea cannot satiate these devouring ardours, and this Fire which still requires aliment. These are those Horseleeches which never Quench their Thirst; these are the Men who have their Eyes in their Bellies, and their Reason Buried in Wine. I am deceived, these are not Men but Sponges, and Tuns, like those of the Danaides into which the Ocean might enter without shilling them: Finally, It was this Infamous Vice which caused Esau to direct his first step into the Precipice where afterwards he was swallowed up. CHAP. III. The Dexterity of Rebecca to procure for Jacob the blessing of Isaac. THere is a false Divinity in the World which hath Temples in the Lungs, Deus tibi venter est, & pulmo templum. Tertul. advers. Psych. and Altars in the Bellies of most Men. The appetite of Gluttony is the Origin of all Vices, the Furnace in which the most dreadful flames of Impurity are nourished and enkindled. We must not then wonder if Esau, who was not ashamed to sell the right of his Primogeniture to satisfy a Gluttonous desire, had the Impudence afterwards to Mary against the will of his Parents, and to take two foreign insolent and furious Wives, and which is worse, addicted to the Worship of false Gods. These were two incarnate Devils, and two Spirits bearing neither respect nor any pity towards Isaac and Rebecca, they raised also a War and tumult in the whole House, and sufficiently manifested what a Woman can do when she hath once trodden honour and devotion under her Feet. Nevertheless Isaac waxing old amidst these misfortunes, Senuit autem Isaac, & caligaverunt oculi ejus, & videre non poterat. Gen. 27. v. 2. insensibly felt the approach of Death, and as if his Eyes abhorred to serve as witnesses to the disasters of his old age, they covered themselves with the Darkness of a lamentable Blindness. Amongst these Accidents his Eyes being shut against all the Clarities of Life, Vocavitque Esau filium suum majorem, & dixit ei, fili mi: Gen. 27. v. 2. Vides inquit, quod senuerim & ignorem diem mortis me●e. Gen. 27. v. 2. A most uncertain uncertainty. his Soul went penetrating the shade and Night of the Tomb. He calls Esau, and says to him with a pitiful Tone, Alas my Son! I am upon the Brink of my Grave, and yet I know not when I shall descend into it. Surely there is nothing more certain than the end of Life, and nothing less certain than the time when we must Die: The Sun is not more clear and perspicuous in the Heavens, than this Decree on Earth; one must be a Beast amongst Men, and Dead in the World, to doubt of this verity. This hinders us not from providing for our necessities, and prudence enjoins that meditating upon Death, we forget not the Duties of Life as Isaac did. This good man feeling his life to extinguish as a Lamp whose Oil gins to fail, called Esau, Vocavitque Esau si lium majorem, & dixit ei fili mi; qui respondit, adsum. Gen. 27. v. 1. Sume arma tua, Pharetram, & arcum, & egredere for as, cumque venatu aliquid apprehender●s, Gen. 27. v. 3. Fac mihi inde pulmentum, sicut velle me nosti, & affer, ut comedam, & benedicat tibi anima mea antequam moriar. Gen. 27. v. 4. Quod cum audisser Rebecca, & ille abiesset in agrum, ut jussionem Patris impleret. Gen. 27. v. 5. Ambr. lib. 2. de Jacob, & vita beata. c. 2. Rebecca non silium filio, sed justum praeferebat infusto, etc. Nunc ergo, fili mi, acquiesce co●si iis meis. Gen. 27. v. 8. Pergens add gregen, adfer mihi duos ●●●dos optimos, etc. Gen. 27. v. 9 Quos cum intuleris, & comederit, benedicat tibi prius quam moriatur. Gen. 27. v. 10. Cui ille respondit: n●sti quod Esau frater meus homo pilosus sit & ego lenis. Gen. 27. v. 1●. Si attractaverit me Pater meus, & senserit, time●ne putet me sibi voluisse illudere, etc. Gen. 27. v. 12. and commanded him to take his Quiver, his Bow and Arrows, and to go a hunting that he might bring him something to eat, with this promise, that at his return he would give him his benediction before his Death. Esau immediately performing what his Father had commanded him, Rebecca who heard isaack's whole discourse, made use of her time very seasonably to do what the Spirit of God directed her. Ah! how ingenious is virtue! and how dexterous is Love when it follows the will of God who would believe that a Woman durst undertake what Rebecca did? Her design was not (saith St. Ambrose) to prefer the Younger before the Elder, but only the merits and perfections of the one before the bad qualities which appeared in the other: and so her fraud was more full of mystery than malice. Her Artifices then were innocent, and her intentions very just and holy, when she disguised Jacob to deceive Isaac, and frustrate Esau of the blessing he expected. Go then my Son (saith she) and make choice amongst our flocks of the two fattest Kids you shall find, I will so dress them, that I will make them serve for your Father's repast, to the end having fed on them he may bless you before his death. But what replied Jacob? Mother you know that my Body is not Hairy like my Brothers; I am fearful then lest my Father touch me, and believing I intent to mock him, lay on me his malediction. Can we wish more Respect, Candour, and Piety, in a Son towards his Father? Surely this did not agree with the comportments and bad humours of so many Children who daily sell their Fathers and Mothers for some slight interests. The World is full of Sons, Daughters, Kindred and such brutish persons who treat the Authors of their Life as their Servants and Handmaids: A dangerous Malediction. But do they well understand that the lightnings and thunderbolts which are form in the Air, cause less dangerous spoils, than the furious Darts which issue out of the Mouth of an Incensed Father? Do they know that Fathers and Mothers are empowered to thunder out the tempests of their Malediction, and that they have as many or more kill shafts than Death, to punish the Insolence and presumption of their Children? Jacob would never have been so adventurous as to undertake an action which might irritate the goodness of Isaac, if Rebecca had not relieved him in his fear, and if she had not made appear to him that her Wiles were very just, Ad quem mater, in me sit (ait) ista maledictio fili mi: tantum audi vocern meam, & pergens asser quae dixi. Gen. 27. v. 13. and her design most Innocent. Ah! saith she, my Son, leave unto me this fear; I will preserve thee from this danger thou apprehendest, and if any ill chance to happen, I wish it may fall on me; do then boldly what I shall say unto thee. She presently apparelled him in Esau's Garments, Et vestibus Esau valde bonis quos apud se habebat domi, induit eum. Gen. 27. v 15. Ded●que pulmentum, & panes, quos coxerat tradidit. Gen. 27. v. 17. Quibus illatis, dixit pater mi, at ille respondit, audio, quis es tu fili mi? Gen. 27. v. 18. Dixitque Jacob: Ego sum primogenitus tuus Esau, feci sicut praecepisti mihi: surge, seed, & comede de venatione mea, ut benedicat mibi anima tua. Gen. 27. v. 19 Rarsumque Isaac ad filium suum, quomodo, inquit, tam cito invenire potuisti fili mi, qui respondit: voluntas Dei suit, etc. Gen. 27. v. 20. Dixitque Isaac: Accede huc ut tangam te fili mi, etc. Gen. 27. v. 21. Accessit ad patrem, & palpato eo dixit Isaac, vox quidem vox Jacob est, sed manus sunt Esau. Gen 27. v. 22. Et non cognovit eum, quia pilosae manus similitudinem majoris expresserant: benedicens ergo illi, ait: Ecce odor filii m●●, sicut odor agri pleni cui benedixit Dominus. Gen. 27. v. 27. covered his Neck and Hands with Skins which had some resemblance of his Brothers, and gave him such Bread and Meat as she knew would be pleasing to isaack's taste. Jacob presents them unto his Father, who hearing his voice asked if he were Esau; he answered that he was his Eldest Son, and that having exactly performed all his commands, he besought him to eat of the Venison he had prepared for him: But what? said Isaac to him, how couldst thou take and provide it in so short a time? Jacob answers, it is God who hath so disposed it, and made it as it were fall into my Hands. If it be so, approach my Son, and give me thy Hands that I may touch them, and feel whether thou art my Son Esau or not. Jacob obeyed; and after Isaac had touched him, he saith unto him; surely this is the voice of Jacob I hear; but if I be not deceived these are the Hands and Hair of Esau I feel: Notwithstanding this doubt, Isaac gave his benediction to Jacob and made good cheer of all he had presented to him. Imagine whether Rebecca stood not watching to observe all that passed. I represent unto myself that she encouraged Jacob with Gestures and Signs which made up a good part of this action: The time must needs seem long unto her out of the fear she might have lest Esau should come in and disturb the course of Divine providence, and the conduct of her prudent designs. Make haste then Isaac, and do quickly what God inspires thee; thy Bed is the Altar on which God will have Jacob consecrated, and it is the Table of a mysterious repast, and the Theatre of the prudence and dexterities of Love. It was then neither Rebecca nor Jacob that guided this enterprise; But God, who from all eternity had chosen Jacob for his Son. It is a great advantage when those favours which arrive to us are presents from Heaven, and an illustrious Prerogative when our fortunes are established by the decrees of God. These are adorable decrees, and mysterious obscurities, dazzling clarities, and dark verities, which must be penetrated to discover that light which is enveloped under the secrets of the Divinity. Isaac is blind, Rebeca sees but the shadows of a mystery which was revealed to her, Jacob is in doubt whether what he doth will come to pass, Esau runs and beats the Bushes, whilst an other takes the Prey. It is God nevertheless who instructs Rebecca, who inspires Isaac, and directs Jacob. Behold also how all succeeds agreeable to his own desires and those of his Mothers. Approach my son saith Isaac, Dixit ad eum: accede ad me, & da mihi osculum fili. Gen. 27. v. 26. Accessit & osculatus est eum. Gen. 27. v. 27. Statimque ut sensit vestimentorum illius fragrantiam, benedicens illi, ait, ecce odor filii mei sicut odor agripteni, cui benedixit Dominus. Gen. 27. v. 27 Det tibi Deus de roar caeli, & de pinguedine terrae, abundantiam frumenti & vini. Gen. 27. v. 28. Et serviant tibi populi, & edorent te Tribus: esto domi●us fratrum tuorum, & incurventur ante te filii matris tuae: qui matedixerit tibi, sit ille maledictus, & qui be●●dixcrit tibi benedictionibus repleatur. Gen. 27. v. 29. and bestow a kiss on thy poor father: Presently Jacob leaps on his neck, embraceth him, hugs him, and lays his eyes, his lips, and mouth on him. I know not why the Mother did not cast herself between them both as the knot of so tender and holy an Amity: But perchance she was afraid to interrupt Isaac who finding himself Surprised by the smell and perfume which exhaled from jacob's garments, presently gave him his paternal benediction, saying to him; Ah wellbeloved SOn, the Odour which comes from thee is as sweet as that which riseth from a field full of flowers, and upon which God hath poured out his Benedictions. Be thou blessed then for all Eternity, my most dear Son, let God bestow on thee the dew of Heaven, the fat of the Earth, wheat and wine in abundance; Let all Nations be subject to thee, and let all the Tribes adore thee. Be thou Lord over thy brethren, let them bow their knees before thee: Let those that give thee their benediction be blessed; and if any one curse thee let him be also cursed. CHAP. IU. God's design in preferring Jacob. ALthough we may say that the Earth is a great Labyrinth and a fearful Chaos where Truth is not seen but in shadow, and where there are no assurances but amidst the uncertainty of casual accidents; Yet One of the Ancients had reason to say, That the world was a large well of Darkness, and a deep Sea where we are exposed to the mercy of Winds and tempests without Sails, without Pilot, without Stern, and almost without Hope of relief. Alas! in this estate where is the Haven, where are the Lands, and where is the means to attain the shore? O God what Horror when we see a bark split in pieces, and him that we Lold by the hand carried by the billows, and tempests into the bottom of the Sea? I see him, I hear him, and I behold him in my sight dying upon the waves; Why he, and not myself? Why this and not that man? What have I done? What hath he done? And what could he deserve from God even before his birth? O night without day! Precipice without bottom! Dreadful uncertainty. Ocean without shore! O height of the Wisdom and knowledge of God Alas how fearful and horrible are the mysteries of thy secrets! My God When shall I know whether thou art for or against me? And who will assure me that I am not inrould amongst those wretches which must be one day banished out of the land of Paradise. Lord, I know not where I am, and what will become of me; I doubt whether after all my races I shall wait at the gate, or whether all my labours will ever merit any reward. And truly could Esau have imagined that while he was a hunting his brother had taken his Benediction? Ah! A fair subject of Miseries. it often happens that such as have the greatest advantages of Nature have the least share of the favours and Grace's God is accustomed to impart. Blood, Spirit, Extraction and Riches are for the most part but a fair object where Misfortune appears with most deformity. The Sun is wont to make his rarest productions in the most unknown places, and God never works more miracles than in the souls of those whom the world useth to Despise, or knows not. Unhappy Esau! where are the privileges of thy Birth, where is the right of thy Primogeniture, and the Blessing thou dost expect? Who art thou? In vain is it for thee to say thou art Esau, and the Eldest son of Isaac, Jacob hath supplanted thee, and when thou didst hunt he found at home what thou soughtest abroad. Jacob saying that he was Esau and the Eldest son, knew well enough that in effect and according to the right of Nature, Mysterious answer. he was Jacob and the Younger Brother: But he knew also that God had chosen him for his Eldest Son, and he spoke according to God's intentions, and in pursuance of the title and right of Primogeniture which he had purchased, and God had given him. As in the eleventh and seventeenth Chapter of St. Matthew the Messiah openly declares that St. John was Elias; Not that indeed he was Elias, but because he lived according to the Spirit, as Elias. So our Lord also hath borrowed seeming titles, and God himself hath taught the World many things which had but some marks of his Divinity. We must note then by the way for the satisfaction of those that read the holy Scripture; First, Innocent feign. that who ever dissembles the truth doth not tell a lie, and though it be a shameful and detestable thing to tell a lie, yet there be innocent feign and prudential ways which are sometimes lawful and laudable. Such was (as some have believed) the address which Abraham used when he caused his Wife to pass for his Sister in the territories of Pharaoh. Secondly, it is one thing to lie, and another thing to speak figuratively; And the words of God himself, though he be the infallible Verity ought not always to be taken in a rigorous sense: for they have sometimes Enigmatical meanings and mysterious relations; and so the number of Abraham's Children was to be like the Stars, and the Sands of the Sea. Thirdly when St. A two edged Sword. John in the I'll of Pathmos saw God carrying in his Mouth a two Edged-Sword, it was to teach us, that his Words, though Divine, might have two significations: which was evident, when he spoke unto the Jews concerning the Temple of his Body, as if it had been the Temple of Jerusalem, albeit he was not ignorant that their thoughts were very different from what he declared unto them. Fourthly the greatness of a mystery may without wounding the truth, disguise the countenance, feign a voice, borrow names, and in a word conceal under some mystical terms the importance of a secret, A most just Stratagem. and the designs of God. This was, as I may say, the amiable stratagem of the Angel Raphael, when he said unto Toby that he was Azarias' the Son of the great Ananias: And this was the Artifice of Jacob, when he answered his father that he was Esau, and his Son. Nevertheless Isaac stood in admiration even to a rapture, and at first he could hardly imagine, Expavit Isaac stupore vehementi & ultra quam credi potest admirans, ai●: quis igitur ille est? Gen. 27. v. 33. that Jacob had deceived him: but at last in the ecstasy of his astonishment, God shown him as St. Austin believed, his manner of conduct in jacob's proceeding. He saw the just intentions of this unmalicious deceiver: And at length he discerned that the Benediction he had given him was valid. As well by reason of God's will, which was such, as in regard his design was to bless him to whom the Privilege belonged, which Jacob had acquired by the contract of Sale passed between him and his Brother, and by the Donation of God. Jacob is then the Elder Brother, Auditis Esau sermonib● Patr●s irrugiit clamore magno, & consternatus ait: benedic etiam & mi●i P●●er m●, Cumque esulatu magn● flewet. Gen. 27. v. 34. Motus Isaac dirit ad eum: in pinguedine terrae, & in roar caeli desu●●●, Gen. 27. v. 39 Erit benedictio tua, etc. Gen. 27. v. 40. and from henceforth his Brethren shall be his Servants. It is in vain for Esau to tear his Heart with a thousand sighs it is to no purpose for him to lament and roar like a Lion. His sorrows and roar may well excite some pity in his Fathers Soul. But this poor old Man hath no other thing to give him but some drops of the Dew, and at best but some humid and clammy vapours which fatten the Earth. For as concerning Heaven, that hath already poured forth its favours upon Jacob: where note, that the benediction which had been given him was very different from that of Esau: for Jacob had first received Riches and the abundance of the Goods of the Earth; Secondly an Empire over Nations; Thirdly a Principality amongst his Brethren; And lastly a particular favour which put him entirely under the protection of Heaven; whereas Esau, as I said, received for his share but some Acres of ground fertile indeed, but only in the corruptible goods of Corn, Rain, and Dew, whereas Jacob had all sorts of benedictions aswell in Earth as in Heaven. These are presents for Worldly and Earthly Men, drops of Water, Exhalations, Vapours, and a little smoke. Behold the favours of Esau, behold the height of his benedictions, and the portion of a Younger Brother who is rejected. After this let us ask why the most impious persons in the World are sometimes the richest, the most happy, and the most powerful, or at least in appearance and to the Eyes of Flesh and Blood. Let us inquire whence comes it that Atheists are Crowned with Roses, Lillys, and Gillyflowers, when Christians walk upon Briars and Thorns, what a shame will it be to see Vice watered with Nectar, whilst Virtue is beaten with a storm of Hail. My God Blessings of this World. permit me then to expostulate with thee to this purpose; if Esau be rejected, why dost thou bestow on him some Goods in this World? Alas! what can be the happiness of this Life? A thick Cloud of Rain, Lands smoking with Ordures, Straw, hay, Feathers and Wind: whereas the Elect enjoy Peace, Hope, Love, Pleasure, God, and Paradise for all Eternity. But who will assure us that we are in the fortunate List of those predestinated Persons whose Elder Brother Jacob is? what Angel will tell us whether we be not lost Children who have Esau for our Captain? Ah God I have bewailed my sins, but I fear my tears have not cleansed my Heart, I have cast forth cries, sighs, and sobs, but my doubt is I have not been heard. I know not how far my benediction reacheth, and whether somebody hath not supplanted me. In fine, am I Jacob or Esau, shall I be saved or condemned, Lawful apprehensions. what will befall me after death? And for what hath God ordained me even before my birth? O Abyss of God's Judgements! O the Gulf of horror and darkness! O God, what precipice for hope? what shadows for faith? and what blindnesses for love? Surely there would remain nothing for us but a sad despair, if we had not learned of the Wise man, Sap. 1.12, 13.11.16. God desires our salvation. that God for his part wills not the destruction of any, but the salvation of all. It is then from thee, O Esau, and from thee (O Israel) perdition cometh. For God, Oz●e 13. Timoth. 2. as the Apostle saith, desires that every one should be saved, and adhere unto the knowledge of truth. Behold the end of his love, of our Creation, and of his Incarnation. In the second place, Sufficient Graces. though God bestows those favours on some which he denies to others, and though he hath showed more of them to Jacob than to Esau, yet he imparts unto all sufficient grace for salvation, as Saint James affirmeth. And truly how can he refuse Graces unto those for whom he hath given his Blood? and why should he not afford assistance unto Man, for whom he hath given up his life, and all his Interests? In fine, no person either aught, or can despair: Foresight of merits. For God hath predestinated the good with foresight of their merits, he hath reprobated the wicked by the prescience of their sins. Let us hope then my Soul, let us hope in God, Well grounded hopes. who is good, and would save us. It is enough for us to have him for our Father, and that he hath given us his Son for our Br●●●er; It is sufficient that our Election depends on his Grace, since he gives it us with all sufficiency. O God what assurance? what pledge? and what caution? A Son towards a Father, a God of God, and who issueth not out of God, but to pacify our troubles, and mediate our salvation. Ah! who will not hope, having a Jesus for his Saviour, whose precious blood runs not but to fill hearts, and to swell the courage with hope of Paradise? Fair motives of Conscience. What haven may we not attain, when we are guided by a God, and swim upon his tears, upon his sweat, and blood? Woe then unto those who will not make use of these advantages; and woe unto such as shall despair of salvation. My God, I hope to be one of those who shall behold thee face to face in Heaven; it is the hope in which I will live, and die. I desire that it may live even in my Sepulchre, flourish even in my Ashes, and afterwards take its flight on the eternal hills, and on the mountains of Zion. My God it is of thy goodness I hope for this grace, it is by the merits of thy Son, and his intercession. Eternal Father, be thou my Judge, Jesus, be thou my Advocate and refuge. This being so, the tragic Judgement of the unhappy lot of Esau doth not affright me. This poor unfortunate, had a Father who was blind, a Mother who was averse, and a brother who supplanted him: And we have a Father who sees all, a Mother who wishes us all sorts of blessings, and a Brother who dies willingly to give us life. My God, Almost happy abandonment. I resign then my lot into thy hands, and I expect my fortune from thy disposure. I expect, my God, thy benediction; give it me then for thy Son's sake, give it me, O my amiable Jesus, and put me in the rank of those Elect, of whom thou art King, that I may be under thy Empire for all Eternity. CHAP. V jacob's Ladder. IT was vanity doubtless which ingraved this stately Elegy upon the Sepulchre of Phericides the Syrian; A stately Epitaph. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Laert. Here lies Wisdom in its highest perfection. For to say truly, this Inscription cannot be set but upon the Throne of God, in whose sight the wisdom of men is but folly. Wisdom is not then to be found in a Tomb, in the depth of the Earth, nor in the Abysses of the Ocean, nor in the vacuum of the Air: but above the Clouds, and under the veils of the Divinity. Jacob. c. 3. It comes from heaven, as the Apostle St. James affirms, and there its Origine and Source is to be found, Baruch v. 3. as the Prophet Baruch assureth: It issues out of hearts, and out of the most intimate secrets of our souls, Diodorus. as the Sun and light from the obscurest nights; and it was peradventure for this reason the Egyptians drew the picture of Osiris the Husband of Isis, who presided over Wisdom, like a Sun, Wisdom like the Sun. whose rays were as so many eyes which penetrated the darkest obscurities. In like manner also in the most holy Pictures of the Old Testament, Wisdom was represented as a good Mother, and as a brave Mistress which kept an Academy, and changed men into Planets full of brightness. I know not whether this were not the reason, Artemidorus. lib. 26. c. 36. as Artemidorus believed, which heretofore moved Fathers and Mothers to call their children Suns, having no clearer terms to flatter their wisdom, and the excellency of their wits. However it be, divine Wisdom is a Sun which is always in his high Noons, and at the same instant inlightens the evening and morning, that is to say, the future and past time, as well as the present. These ways though obliqne go always strait, and soon or late bring us to the Haven. The course of Wisdom. It was this wise Conductor which lead Abraham in all his Pilgrimages: And it is she at present, as the Wiseman himself assures us, who taketh her Jacob by the hand, and diverts him insensibly from the Abyss into which Esau's despair intended to lead him. Haec prosugum irae fratris justum deduxit per vias rectas, Sap. c. 10. It was this wisdom saith Solomon, which freed an Innocent from the rage and fury of a Brother who contrived his death. To this effect it casts some streams of light into Rebeccas soul, who presently knew the designs which Esau had on Jacob. Afterwards this prudent woman went to find out Isaac, and remonstrated to him, that it was not time to marry Jacob, but that he must needs permit him to take a wife out of the Land of Chanaan. Isaac though blind clearly discerned what his wife pretended; Vocavit itaque Isaac jacob, & benedixit cam, praecepique ei dicens, Genes. 28. v. 1. Vade & presiciscere in Mese●r tamtam Syriae, ad domum Bath●●l patras matris tuae, & accipe tibi ind● uxorem de siliabus La●●an evunculitui. Gen. 28. v. 2. And then feeling some touches of this wise hand which managed the whole business, he commanded jacob's presence, to give him his blessing, and to express unto him his trouble to see him departed out of his house before his death: But nevertheless since time pressed him for his Marriage, it was most convenient to take the way of Mesopotamia to obtain one of Laban's daughters for his wife. Go then my dear Child, Deus autem omnipoeens benedi●a tibi, etc. Gen. 28. v. 3. Et det lib. benedic●●anes Abrahae, & semini tuo post te, etc. Gen. 28.5.4. said this good old man, go, and let the God of Abraham be thy guide, during thy whole voyage. For my part, I beseech him to augment on thee the benedictions I have most willingly given thee. Above all I beg of him to multiply thy offspring, and to put thee in possession of the Country where thou shalt be as a stranger or Pilgrim. Farewell then my most dear Son, A sensible Separation. farewell all my Joy, and all the Love of my house; which said, he kisseth him, he embraces him, he waters him with his tears. Nevertheless Rebecca to whom all moments were longer than Days, endeavoured speedily to draw him thence, that she might put him in the Equipage of a Traveller, and give him her farewell, lest Esau should disturb the departure and the design of this voyage. It was indeed a trial of constancy for this poor Mother, when she must leave this Son, but at last she had him adieu, and brought him on his way after she had spoken to him some few words which issued less from her Mouth, than from her Heart. I wonder how the Father, Mother and Son did not die upon this sad Separation. But the Wisdom of God who was as the wheel of all these Motions knew how to moderate the excess of her grief, by the hopes of that good which would arise from thence. Nevertheless to speak truth, these combats were very rigorous, and there needed an Isaac, a Jacob, and a Rebecca to accomplish this resolution. In fine, the wise Providence of God expects Jacob at his resting place, and intends by the favour of the Night visibly to discover the manner of his conduct, and the model of his government. Jacob is gone then from Bershabè and travels all alone under the protection of Heaven, Igitur egressus Jacob de Bersabee, pergebat Hatam. Gen. 28. v. 10. Cumque venisset ad quendam locum, & vellet in es requiescere post solis occubitum, tulit de lapidibus qui jacebant, & supponens capiti suo dormivit in codem Loco. Gen. 28. v. 11. and with this confidence that God would never abandon him. But what! Behold Night already founding the retreat, and shuting up all passages to our Pilgrim, He beheld the Sun stealing from his Eyes, and the Moon giving no light but to discover to him on the Plains of Bethel a bed of Earth, and some stones to serve him for a Bolster. Poor Jacob! What Bed? what Bolster? what Night? and what Inn? Without doubt, here is the place where long since God appeared unto Abraham, and it is this so famous Bethel where he saw the Land of Promise. Besides, it is in the Night God discloseth his lights, The voice of God in silence. it is amidst silence we hear his voice, and in solitude he useth to reveal his secrets. Repose then Jacob, and spend all the Night in security, since God hath been pleased to Assign you this Lodging. O happy retreat! O pleasing Night! O delicious bed! O divine Repose? Jacob is fallen a sleep, Viditque in somnis scalam stantem super terram & cacumine illius tangens caelum: An●●l●s quoque dei asceadentes per eum. Gen. 28. v. 12. Et Donanum innio um scalae. Gen. 28. v. 13. Cumque vigilasset Jacob de sumno ai●: v● è Domi●u●●st in ●oco ●sto, non est 〈◊〉 al●us, nist domus D●i, & po. ta caeli. but God, who always watcheth, shown him a Prodigious Ladder which touched the Earth with one end and the Heavens with the other, Angels by turns descended and ascended this Ladder, and on the top God himself appeared as it were supported by it. But behold indeed a strange Spectacle upon a Theatre of Sanctity. I am not astonished if after Jacob had taken his rest he awaked at this vision bearing God in his Mouth and Heart. He calls Heaven to witness, and protests that Bethel is the Temple of God where the most glorious rays of his Majesty are seen. Ah saith he, how venerable is this place, and how full of a holy terror, It is the gate of Heaven! and if Jacob could live a hundred Thousand years, he would have no other God, than he that appeared to him. Besides more authentically to seal his confession and promise he poured oil out of a Bottle which he carried for his provision, Surgens ergo Jacob man●, tulit lapidem quem supposuerat ●piti suo, & exerit in titulum sundens oleum desuper. and anointed therewith the stone which during the Night had served him for a Pillow. Behold in truth strange mysteries, but I would willingly have demanded of God the explication of them, if I had been in jacob's place. I know nevertheless that some have thought, that it was a figure of the Temporal Generation of the Word who descended from Abraham even unto Joseph and Mary, and who ascends from Joseph and Mary unto Adam and God himself. It is the Incarnation of the Word whereby God descends on Earth and Me●mount up to Heaven! A picture of the Incarnation. As God he is impassable in the bosom of his Father, and mortal in the Womb of his Mother, Subject to time and death: It is God united unto Man who rests on this sacred wood, and it is h● who sends his Angels as his Nuncios and Ambassadors. St. Austin frames another sense upon this Enigma, and he conceives that this Ladder was a draught of the life and death of Jesus Christ. Isaac represents God the Father, Jacob is the Image of the Son, The image of the life and death of Jesus. Aug. ser. 79. the temp. and the Angels which ascend and descend are the Apostles and preachers, who Elevate themselves unto God by their Thoughts, and stoop even to the grossest understandings by means of their Words. These two Explications to speak the truth are most Sublime: But St. Basill expounding the three and thirty Psalm gives an other explanation, which will be more profitable. This Ladder, saith he, is the Exercise, The description of a perfect Soul. or rather the picture of a Soul, which raiseth herself unto the highest pitch of Perfection. First, to the end God may descend into this Soul, The forsaking of Creatures. and that this Soul may ascend unto God, she must forsake the Earth, and renounce the World: This is the first step. Secondly, she ought to make a generous divorce from all Creatures, and even efface out of her memory all their Footsteps, and all the species of her dearest affections. Thirdly, Contempt of the World. she must have nothing but Contempt and disdain for that which before she adored. At the fourth step she must resolve to trample over her Friends and all her kindred; Estimation of God. that is to say, she must prefer God before them, and boldly reject their designs when they are opposite unto the Will of God. The fift step passeth even unto Death: Extreme Mortification. for the Soul ought less to esteem Life than her God; and if God suffers her to live Longer, her life is but a Living Death which finds its Tomb in her Nothing. It is for this consideration she remains in a most profound Humility, Annihilation of o●● selves. and in a most inflamed Charity which communicats her flames and zeal not only to her Friends, but also to her Enemies. In fine, Union of the soul. God is present at the top of the Ladder united unto the Soul; and it is upon her he reposeth, and is united to her, and she to him. Philo and Origen have yet laid some other touches on this picture; many also have since laboured therein: But having perused all their works, and collected all their opinions, I think, that God's design was to manifest unto Jacob in this vision, the care his Divine providence took of him. The Ladder of Divine Providence. jacob's Ladder then was a most lively draught of the wise conduct of Almighty God concerning Jacob, and of the Universal Government of the World, which is in the Hands of the Divinity. The Bounds and Limits of this Empire are infinite, Huic ex alto cunesa tuenti nulla terrae mole resistunt. Non nox at●is nulubus obstat. Vno cernit mentis erictu, quae sint, quae fueriat, quae veniantque. Boet. lib. de cons. and his Sceptre extends itself over the Earth, and over the Heavens where he absolutely resides, and beholds all the events like a Sun, saith Boetius, which penetrates every where, and guides all Creatures by means of his splendour. The two sides of the Ladder represent Power and Sweetness, which are as the Hands of the Divine Providence, which goes mounting and descending from Heaven to Earth by divers steps, that is to say, by divers sweet and admirable walks and ways through which the World is insensibly guided unto the period and term proposed to it. God nevertheless, rests himself on the top of this Ladder, and from thence deputes his Angels and Ambassadors, which are (as St. Gregory saith) the Ministers of the Divine Providence. It is then in the Company of these most Heavenly Spirits, that Jacob is on his way to renew his Journey unto Mesopotamia. In fine, Ego sum Dominus, sum Dominus Deus Abraham Patris tui, & Deus Isaac; terram in qua dormis tibi dabo, & semini tuo. Gen. 28. v. 13 Eritque semen tuum quasi pulvis terrae: Dilat aberis ad occidentem, & orientem & septentrionem, & meridiem. Gen. 28. v. 14. Et ero custos tuus quocunque perrexeris, & reducam te in terram hanc, nec dimittam nisi complevero universa quae dixi. Gen. 28. v. 15. under the protection of the Divine Providence, Jacob pursues his design, and this was the promise made him during his Vision. Yea Jacob, saith God, I am the Lord of thy Progenitors, Abraham, and Isaac; and I will bestow the Land where thou reposest, on thyself and all thy Children: I will multiply them as grains of Sand which are upon the Earth; and their Progeny shall extend as far as the four Corners of the Universe. I myself will be thy Guardian during all thy voyages, and will bring thee back to thine own House. Thou mayst be affured of it Jacob, and constantly believe that God speaketh unto thee, and that his Providence will never abandon thee, until he hath accomplished his Oath and promises. O God what happiness for Jacob, and for all those who live under the favour of thy Providence? what Peace in a Soul when God is the primum mobile or first mover of all his Actions? what assurance when we walk in the way his increated wisdom hath marked out to us with his own Hand, and enlightened with the purest rays of his Eyes? My Soul! is it true? Ah! if it be so, let us banish these disquiets and perplexities which ravish from us the confidence we ought to have in God. My God my hope is then in thee, and I resign my Life, my Pleasures, my Designs, my Desires, my Interests and all my Affections into the Bosom of thy Providence? And besides, I make a vow with Jacob to Live and Dye in the quality of thy Son; and of thy most humble Creature, who hath no Life nor motion but by thee and for thee. Lord accept this offering, confirm this promise, and in giving Affections unto my Heart to Love thee, deny not Lights unto my Soul for the guidance and strengthening of it, against all obstacles which might divert it from approaching directly to thee, and reaching the top of the Mountain, where it hopes both to see and enjoy thee for all Eternity. CHAP. VI The Constancy of Jacob in the Quest of Rachel. IT is then the wise Providence of God, which can justly attribute this honour unto itself as to say, I preside in Councils; And it is by the favour of my lights Men in the most importune affairs conceive their gravest and most mature resolutions. I am, The Works of the increated Wisdom. saith Providence, the End of God's wonders; by me he Gins his rarest works to Finish them in me; And I am the Archetype and the project of his most admirable designs. It is this Providence which had the Model of the Universe, when the Elements were in confusion, and it was by her disposure the world received its Laws and all its Orders. Moreover, in the sequence of Age she took all her choicest delights upon the vast Globe of the Earth, and her sweetest divertisements amongst men, which serve as pastimes to her most holy entertainments. I know not whether the Philosophy of Plato were pure enough to understand these verities; But he concurred it seems in this opinion, when he said, That divine Providence sports with men in a way paternally affectionate and full of miracles. Homo est ludus Deorum. Plato. Now if this Pastime appeared in the life of Abraham and Isaac, it is no less visible, me thinks, in that of Jacob. Admirable sports. First, God sported with him in his Mother's Womb, when he stirred his Hand to wrestle with his Brother Esau, and to take him by the sole of his Foot that he might cause him to fall from the right to which he pretended. Secondly, God sported with Jacob when he disguised him by the intervention of his Mother to obtain the Benediction of Isaac. Thirdly the Ladder Jacob saw in a dream was, as we have said, but a Pastime and spectacle of the Divine Providence, and at present God continues to sport with him in the rest of his Journey, afterwards in the House of Laban, and finally in a thousand other rencounters, where it will appear that even Gods Combats with Jacob were but Sports and Artifices wherein God took pleasure to recreate himself with him. Jacob being then waked out of this mysterious sleep and Divine rapture, Profectus ergo Jacob, venit in terram orientalem. Gen. 29. v. 1. Et vidit puteum in agro, tres queque greges ovium accubantes juxta eum. Gen. 29. v. 2. Quos interrogans numqaid ait nostis Laban? Gen. 29 v. 5. Et ecce Rachel ventebat cum outbus sui Patris: nam gregem ipsa pascobat. Gen. 29. v. 9 in which God had kept him for the space of a whole Night on the plains of Bethel, he took his way towards the East, where a while after near unto a Well, he met with Flocks of Sheep and Shepherds, of whom he enquired whether they were not acquainted with Laban, and whether they knew not his House. Behold, at the same time a Rachel approaching, the second Daughter of Laban, who kept her Father's Sheep, and led them to drink where Jacob stayed. I know not whether the Day were far advanced: but in some part of its course where the Sun may be seen, I am well assured that the Eyes of Rachel did cast forth a thousand Love-Darts and lights into the Soul of Jacob. Rachel was an Aurora which marcheth before the Sun, and instantly these two Planets did that which the Sun and Moon could not effect since their Creation. Jacob kissed Rachel, Quam cum vidisset Jacob & sciret consobrinam suam, Gen. 29. v. 10. Osculectus est eam: & elevata voce flevit. Gen. 29. v. 11. Et indicavit ei quod frater esset patris sui & filius Rebeccae, at illa festinans nuntiavit patri suo. Gen. 29. v. 12. Qui cum audisset venisse Jacob filium ●ororis suae, cucurrit obvianei, etc. Gen. 29. v. 14. and knowing that she was his Cousin, he began sweetly to cry out, and presently his Eyes shed some tears, which expressed the excess of his contentment. Rachel would have done the same if her Eyes had been longer fixed on Jacob: but she ran from thence to advertise her Father, that not far from the House she had happily met with one of her Cousin-germen, the Son of Isaac and Rebecca. Which Laban hearing, went to meet and bring him to his Lodging, as also to know the cause of his coming. Jacob freely declared to him what had passed; to which Laban answered he was very welcome, and that he received him as his dear Nephew, Di●itei: nam quia frater meuses, gratis serv●es mihi: lic quid mercedis accipias. Gen. 29. v. 15. and as a part of himself: But for the rest, although he had a desire to entertain him as his own Brother, yet he must resolve to serve and merit some ways by his labours. Jacob had no mercenary Spirit, nor a Body trained up to labour; Nevertheless of a Master he must become a Servant, and learn by Serving others, more prudently to Command hereafter: He made a contract then with his Uncle, Serviam tibi pro Rachel filta tua mimo●● septem annos. Gen. 29. v. 18. Respondit Laban: me●●as est ut tibi eam de quam altere uno. Gen. 29. v. 19 Sed L●a lip●is erat ocults, Racitel detora fact & venusto aspectu. Gen. 29. v. 17. and obliged himself to serve him for the space of seven years, at the end of which Laban promised to Marry him unto Rachel, the youngest but the fairest of his Daughters. The Eldest which was called Leah, had a Face of Wax which melted through her Eyes, and rendered her deformed and bleareyed: but the Youngest had so many beauties and attractives, as the least of her glances had power enough to render her Mistress of jacob's affections. It was for her sake and for the Love he bo●e her, that he became a Servant, and that of a Pilgrim he took upon him the quality of a Guest, Well regulated affection. who lodged in his Heart all the duties of a most pure and holy amity. His Love was not of the nature of those petty Devils which possess lascivious Souls, it was neither deceitful nor violent, neither indiscreet nor arogant, neither irregular nor impious, neither variable nor impudent, neither capricious nor sporting, neither fantastic nor stupid, neither remiss nor unworthy of a virtuous Man, but sincere, moderate, prudent, humble, stayed, constant, respectful, simple, condescending, equal, provident, courageous, and such as could be desired in a good Man. There are in the World inchained Captives, Slavery of Love. and Houses often become Galleys, where we behold slaves rowing against the Wind and Tide. These are unfortunate Argonauts who go in quest of a Golden Fleece, which they shall never bring home. The Haven and the shore fly before them, and there Bark will ever be in the disastrous Hand, where nothing is to be seen, but refusals disdains and despairs. Mean while Days and Years pass away in Captivity; where nothing is to be found but sorrows, furies, envies, aversions, sighs, regrets and tears, for having courted a painted and plastered Idol, and for having erected Altars to it, offering a thousand Vows without ever being able to render it propitious, and for having expended their Goods in Masks and Feasts, in presents, and a thousand poor and shifting devices, which served only to swell a Cloud of storms. Ah! what blindness, what weakness, Shameful blindness. what indignity for a Cavalier to be seen at the Feet of some curious and dainty Dame, where he burns his Heart, where he immolates his Strength and Courage, where he dries up his Blood, and where he prostitutes his Body, his Fortunes, and Honour. In fine, the Life of such kind of men is an unhappy vassalage, their whole inquest a Martyrdom, and all their pursuits meet with nothing but shadows, where they find, as in an abyss of miseries, the loss of their joy and Liberty. Jacob fell not into these misfortunes: but his Courtships were most just and holy. He lived like an Angel incarnate amidst the flames and ardours of a most pure and holy affection; Servivit erge Jacob pro Rachel septem annis, & videbantur illi pauci dies prae amoris magnitudine. he excited himself to patience and labour by the sight and upon the hopes of Rachel; and he did like those who running at Rings, fix only their Eyes on the prize proposed to them; he found also no weariness at the end of his course, and saw himself upon the point of enjoying his reward after seven years' service, which scarce seemed unto him to have lasted so many Days. But what! Et vespere Liam suam introduri● ad cum. Gea. 29. v. 23. Ad quam cum ex amore Jacob fuisset ingressus, facto mane vid●t Liam. Gen. 29. v. 24. as the Hopes we repose in Men very often deceive us, so after the Wedding Night, the Day discovered unto Jacob the cheats of Laban, who instead of Rachel gave him Leah. Never was any man more astonished than Jacob, who expected nothing less than such a Metamorphosis. He fails not to complain unto Laban of this deceit, Et dixit ad sorcerum suum: Quidest quod facere voluisti? Gen. 29. v. 25. Respondit Laban: non est in loco nostro consuetudinis, ut minores ante tradamus ad nuptias. Gen. 29. v. 26. Imple bebdomadam dierum hujus copulae: & hanc quoque dabo tibi pro opere quo serviturus es miln septem annis aliis. Gen. 29. v. 27. but for answer they told him, that it was not the custom to marry the younger Daughter before the Elder; that if he would yet for one week accomplish this Marriage with Leah, Rachel should be given him for his second wife, provided that he would again oblige himself to serve for the space of seven years. Behold a lively image in the person of Laban, of the deceits and falsehoods of the world, which give straws for gold, briers for roses, counterfeits for true Diamonds, chains for liveryes, bondage for rewards, and at last, fables, errors and lies, which cause us to spend our lives in a detestable blindness. Notwithstanding, A poor harvest of worldly men. there are some who have less pure intentions than Jacob, who amuse themselves to gather up all these straws, and take pleasure to roll themselves upon thorns. There are weak and ignorant eyes which prefer Glass before Rubies and Emeralds; some cherish their own follies, some adore their bondage, and some glory to languish in the Martyrdom of a shameful captivity. But that which is most to be deplored, some fix their eyes on exterior attractives, upon Painted faces and Phantasms of Love, like those Temples of Egypt, which as Clement Alexandrinus saith, Clem. Alex. lib. 3. paedag. were only set forth with gilded Stones, carved Marbles, and painted beauties, without life or soul. Nevertheless we there fix our eyes, and fasten our hearts; we are content with Leah, who was a figure of this life, and think no more of Rachel who was the Image of Paradise and Eternity. At least we would willingly gather this immortal purple flower of Love, but we cannot take the pains to water it with some drop of sweat and blood; We would gladly catch in our nets this beautiful Bird of heaven, Weakness of courage. but we will not take the pains to spread them; We would willingly take this fish of the Fortunate Islands, but we dare not put our hands into the water, it is too chill, it is too cold; we neither can nor will do it; seven years of service are too long to merit a Rachel. It is too great a conflict to gain a Crown, and we cannot resolve to die one Moment to live Eternally. This moves me to cry out Eternity, All is short to him who meditates on Eternity. Eternity of joy and felicity, how long art thou Eternity, and how short is the Moment of pain which may deserve thee? O Moment, moment of this life, how quickly dost thou slip away, and what immense Durations hath Eternity. Ah! Jacob, Jacob, serve then not only seven days, but even seven years entire, to obtain Rachel. Jacob, it sufficeth to love her: For in loving, every thing is animated; every thing lives, every thing prospers, and every thing passeth away most sweetly under the laws of love; and since it is not for a Man, but for a God, nor for a mortal beauty, but for an immortal happiness you captivate yourself. It was no trouble unto Jacob to receive this yoke, Acquievit beneplacito, & bebdomadae transacta, Rachel duxit u●orem. Gen. 29. v. 28. seeing himself the possessor of his dear Rachel; he resumed the trade he had so happily begun, and he believed that the shackles of his second service, would not be less supportable than the former. Behold him happy to see himself in a Bondage, where he was a servant to Laban, and the master of Rachel. All his misfortune was only because he contemned Leah which proceeded from the excessive love be boar unto Rachel. But God taking pity of Leah rendered her considerable by her fruitfulness, and by the birth of four Sons, Videns autem Dominus quòd despiceret Liam, aperuit vulvam ejus. Genes. 29. v. 31. Quae conceptum genuit silium, vocavitque nomen ejus Reuben. Gen. 29. v. 31. Rursúmque concepit, & peperit filium, vocavitque nomen ejus Simeon, etc. Genes. 29. v. 23. the first of which was called Reuben, the second Simeon, the third Levi, and the fourth Judas, which were the four principal causes of Rachel's envying Leah. It is the vice of great souls to be touched with envy, and the effect of an unworthy melancholy to seek good from another's mishap. It is no wonder then, if women for the most part are subject unto these abominable motions; but I am astonished at the violence of this passion, when it transports men even unto despair. Rachel will die, Cernens autem Rachel qu●d insoecunda ess●t: ci ma●●to sua, da miht liberos, etc. Gen. 30. v. 1. C●i i●a●us respondit Jacob: N●m pro Deo ego sum? etc. Gen. 30. v. 3. Ingress● ad se vi●o concepit, & peperit filium. Gen. 30 v. 5. Et id●i●co apellavit n●m●n esus Dan. Gen. 30. v. 6. Rursumque Bala concipiens pe●erit alterum. Gen. 30. v. 7. Vocavitque eum Nephthali. Gen. 30. v. 8. she saith, if no children be given her. What man I beseech you can bestow a favour which God hath reserved to himself? was not this then a means to make Jacob die, seeing that his wife asked that which lay not in his power to give her? It was requisite nevertheless that the goodness of God should alleviate the grief of this sad Mother; giving unto her handmaid two Sons, one of which was called Dan and the other Nepthalim. God immediately after shown the same favour to the Handmaid of Leah who brought forth Gad and Asser. After which Leah herself conceived of Jsachar, then of Zebulon, and at last of a Daughter called Dina. It was by the means of these generations God began to accomplish the Promise he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; And it was out of these first springs issued a thousand and a thousand streams of this blood of Patriarcks which was to overflow the fairest Lands of the Universe. Recordatus quoque Dominus Rachelis, exatedivit eam, & aperuit vulvam ejus. Gen. 30. v. 22. Quae concepit & peperit filium. Gen. 30. v. 23. 〈◊〉 vocavit nomen ejus Joseph. Gen. 30. v. 24. At that time Jacob saw the time approaching during which he had tied himself to serve his Father-in-Law Laban. Rachel nevertheless was troubled at her barrenness: But at length God heard her prayers, and made her the Mother of a Son, whose birth effaced all the marks of her shame and dishonour. This Joseph, this miraculous Infant, was the delight of his parents, the glory of Rachel, the love of Jacob, the wish and desire of both, the support of his family, the King of all his brethren, the Saviour of his people, and the masterpiece of the graces and favours of God. CHAP. VII. The reward Jacob received for his services, and his departure out of Mesopotamia. WHen Jacob had finished his fourteen years of service he began to long for liberty, Nato autem Joseph dixit Jacob socero suc: dimitte me ut revertar in patriam, & ad terram meam. Gen. 30. v. 25. and for his own country; where he had never lived under the command of a Master and Father-in-Law, but under the tuition of a Father and Mother who had always treated him not as a Servant, but as their Child. He entreated then Laban to give way unto his retirement. But as interest is the first inciter of all passions, Laban immediately felt his Heart assaulted with all sorts of Motions. In fine, Ait illi Laban: Inveniam gratiam in conspectu tuo, etc. Gen. 30. v. 27. the hope he had that jacob's presence would every day increase the blessings and Graces of Heaven upon his family, he invites Jacob to remain some small time with him; To which Jacob freely accorded, well foreseeing the trouble he should have in his journey, being burdened with Women and Children too weak and young to resist the incommodities of travel. He condescended then to the desire of Laban, Dixitque Loban: quid tibi da●o? At ille ait, nibil volo: sed si feceris quod postulo, iterum ●ascam, & custodiam 〈◊〉 tua. Gen. 30. v. 31. Gyraomnes greges tuos, & separa cunctas ves va●ias, & sparso vel●●●e: & quodcumque f●r●●m & maculosum, varIumque suerit, tam in ovibus quam in capris erit merces mea. Gen. 30. v. 32. tollens ergo Jacob virgas populeas virides, & amygdalin as, etc. Gen. 30. v. 37. upon condition he might have the government of his flocks and Herds, and that he would distribute them in such sort as from thenceforth all the beasts which were found spotted, should be his and those which should be of one single colour were to be Laban's. The agreement is made to the Content and liking of both parties: but disunion and jealousy arose quickly on Laban's part, seeing his own flocks barren, and on the contrary those of Jacob very fruitful. This was (as Theodoret believed) a miraculous artifice of divine Providence, which incited Jacob to place white and green wands before the Eyes of his flocks when they were in copulation; which caused various impressions and effects conformable to the desires of Jacob, Posuitque eas in canalibus, ubi essundebatur aequa, ut cum venissent greges ad bibend●m ante oculos haberent virgas, & in aspectu earum coreiperent. Gen. 30. v. 38. Arist. lib. 3. de Hist. anim. Varro in Solino. and agreeable to the picture which an Angel had represented to him. I conceive nevertheless, absolutely speaking, that such productions are not above the power of Nature. It is the opinion of all Philosophers, and amongst others of Aristotle, who affirms that in Antandria there are two great Rivers, in one of which the beasts which drink of it grow white, and in the other become black. In like manner the River Seamander breeds golden colours: And in the red Sea there is a fountain as Varro observes which changeth every thing into Carnation. It is then no impossible thing for the imagination to produce like effects, and to form in Bodies, what the Sun doth in the clouds, and Painters in their pictures. These are draughts of the Soul which in the strict Union she hath with the Body is the source of its Actions and Motions; Portraicts of the Soul. so that she labours therein as a Workman doth upon his Matter, and a Designer upon the Platform which he contrived. And truly if a Carver can shape upon Marble and Brass the intelligible form and the Idea which is in his Fancy and Reason; What disorder can there be, if the Sensitive Soul, the Fancy of Animals chance to produce their Sensible Images in the matter most capable of these impressions, when the Heat of Nature incites them to dilate themselves into new Productions? In fine, but too many events are daily seen in the world which prove this verity, and demonstrat that the Imagination hath a Marvellous command over Bodies. This yet hinders not Jacob from following the instincts of a Supernatural conduct to purchase the Reward his Services deserved. However it were, Animadvertit quoque faciem Laban quod non effet erga se sicut heri, & nudiustertius, Gen. 31. v. 2. Laban grows extraordinary Sad, because his flocks bring him no fruit. For this purpose he altars the Contract between him and his Son-in-Law. But perceiving that his unfaithful dealing afforded no better Success, he could no longer dissemble his thoughts unto Jacob, who presently discovered in his Father-in-Law's countenance very sensible marks of his indignation. This was partly then the occasion which made Jacob resolve to return into his own Country; Maximè dicente 〈◊〉; Domino revertere in terram patrum tuorum, etc. Gen. 31. v 3. Misit & votavit Rachel, & Liam in agrum, ubi pascebat grege●, Gen. 31. v. 4. Dixitque as, vi●eo faciem patris vestri, quod non sit erg● me sicut heri, & nudiustertius. Gen. 31. v. 5. Surre●it itaque Jacob, & impositis liberis suis ac consugibus super Camelos, abiit. Gen. 31. v. 17. Nuntiatum est Leban die tertin, quod fageret Jacob. Gen. 31. v. 22. Qui assumptis fratribus suis persecutus est cum, etc. Gen. 31. v. 23. Vtaitque in somnis dicentem sibi Deum, cave ne quidquam aspere loquaris contra Jacob. Gen. 31. v. 24. Et dixit ad Jacob, quare ita egisti. Gen. 31. v. 26. Venierge ut ineamus, foedus etc. Gen. 31. v. 44. Lahan vero de nocte consurgens, etc. Gen. 31. v. 55. Jacob quoque abiit, itinere quo caeperat, etc. Gen. 32. v. 1. but since he could not accomplish this design without the consent of his wives, he acquainted them with all that had passed. Assoon then as they had assented thereto, Jacob seeing the time God had ordained for his return, began his journey in the most secret manner he could with his wives, Children, flocks, baggage, and the rest of his family. They marched in great haste, and had already passed over the River Euphrates, when Laban advertised of this departure took his brother, his cousins, and the greater number of his Friends, to pursue these fugitives, whom at last after Seven day's travel he discovered afar off upon Mount Galaad, where Laban reposing a while God appeared unto him, and enjoined him not to use Jacob ill. He could not yet contain himself from complaining of this unexpected departure, and principally for the Idols which Rachel had carried away without acquainting Jacob therewith, but amongst these reproaches there was a necessity of agreeing, and after a Mutual accord Laban returned into Mesopotamia, and Jacob pursued his journey toward the Land of Canaan. There he immediately discovered those Troops of Angels which came to meet him as so many Squadrons, Quos cum vidisset, ait: castra Des sunt haec, & appellavit nomen loci illius Mabanaim, id est castra. Gen. 32. v. 2. which God deputed for his safeguards: This was the cause why Jacob called that place where these Legions appeared, Mahanaim, which signifies Armies; And in effect these were Battalians ranked in order, in favour of Jacob. These were Deputies of Heaven which came to congratulate his Triumphs. These were Angels of Paradise, Spirits of glory who came with applauses to receive this glorious Conqueror, this happy Traveller, and this Angel of peace, who brings Love and contentment unto his Parents, and to his whole Country. Mean while Esau came with four hundred men, Venimus ad Esau fratrem tuum, & ecce properat tibi in occursum cum quadringen is viris. Gen. 32. v. 6. Timuit Jacob valde: & perterritus divisit popubum qui secum erat, greges queque, & eves, & boves, & Camelos in duas turmas. Gen. 32. v. 7. and I fear lest his fury may re-enkindle at the sight of his supplanter; I fear lest the remembrance of his past misfortunes may awake at the noise of these troops; I fear lest the meekness which is natural unto Jacob, may cast Oil into the Fire, which Esau had covered for the space of twenty years under the Ashes of his mischievous disposition. For the Love of God beware Jacob, and take care of these gracious Pledges, and of these happy depositaries, you have acquired with so much labour. Divide then your Flocks, separate all your Soldiers, set aside your Wives and Children, and above all expose not Rachel unto Assaults and Danger, and much less her dear and only Joseph. Jacob did prudently all that any Man could act upon such an occasion: But God, who manageth Hearts, and boweth the most savage and rebellious persons, will know how to Order Esau in such sort, as Jacob shall never receive the least prejudice from him. It is enough then for Jacob to march under the Standard of Divine Providence, and follow those Squadrons which the God of Battles hath appointed for his preservation. The Earth is but a point in comparison of the Heavens, and an Angel of the lowest order surpasteth in power and virtue all the Creatures which live in this World: If this be so, what favour did God show unto Jacob, in giving him so many Angels to guard him under their protection? and what a happiness is it unto every one to have an Angel for his Guardian? My God, I render thee most humble thanks for him in the name of all men, and from henceforth I abandon myself into thy hands, and will live and die under the wings of this amiable Guardian, whom thou hast given me for the Director of my Life, for the Guide of my Pilgrimage, for the Pilot of my Navigation, and in a word for a friend, and for an Angel, which will accompany me even unto my Tomb. CHAP. VIII. jacob's Wrestling with the Angel, and his return into Canaan. IF continual practice renders a Soldier bold, valiant dexterous and expert, Men who are amidst perpetual assaults, unexpected surprises, incessant combats, in a continual Conflict with all Creatures, Life of Man. aught to be well versed in the exercise of War. Now there is no person exempted from these Laws, War without truce. and a Man must be single in the World, and have neither Soul nor Body, to have no Enemies. St. S. Chrys. in Psal. ●. Chrysostom was of this opinion, when he said That his Life was continually amidst assaults: And for this cause it was necessary for him to stand always upon his Guard. And Seneca, who lived amongst employments, Nobis quoque militandum est & quidem genere militiae in quo nunquam quies, nunquam otium datur. Sen. Ep. 51. where his Studies and Philosophy spoke nothing to him but Peace, will confess nevertheless that his employment, though very solitary, gave him neither truce nor repose. We may then truly say that the Sea may for a time enjoy a Calm; That Music hath necessarily some pauses, that the Earth is not still beaten with Hail and Wind, that the Air hath alternatively both Day and Night: But the Life of Man hath War without truce, continual storms, restless complaints, and obscurities which environ him at Noon day. Dreadful Monsters. Hell hath powers armed against him; the Earth hath furious Monsters, and Men a thousand times more enraged than Monsters, which pursue him on all sides. The Sea hath tempests which roar under his Feet, the Air tumbleth down whole quarries upon his Head, Fire inkindles Comets to affright him, and the Sun and Moon have Eclipses to inter him alive under their shadows. In fine, God and his Angels often times Arm themselves to wage War against him, and make trial of his Valour. Notwithstanding, it would never have been believed, if God's Bulwarks had been only in the Heavens, and if from thence it had satisfied him to cast at us some Darts without our discerning the Hand which had thrown them. He makes himself then Visible, and will have Earth to be his Field of Battle, where under Humane and Angelical forms he fights with Men. Jacob did not expect such a Combat, Misit autem & nuncios ante so ad Esau fratrem suum. Gen. 32. v. 3. Et transivit vadum Jaboch. Gen. 32. v. 22 Mansit solus & e●ce vir lucta●atur cum eo usque ad mane. Gen. 32. v. 24. when he disposed himself to Pacify his Brother, or at least to repel the violence of his efforts. But when he had passed the torrent of Jaboch, which is between the Lands of Gerasa and Philadelphus, scarce was he drawn aside, but being all alone he perceived a Man wrestling all the Night with him, without giving him any repose. Alas! what retreat? what combat? what adversary hath encountered Jacob. Is this God? Is this an Angel? Is this a Man? or rather is not this Esau who waited to take revenge on him? Where is Racbel, where Leah, where Reuben that they hasten not to his succour? But I know not whether fear hath not taken away even jacob's speech, when he might have called his people to his aid: yet it is not probable, since he presently knew (as Rupertus saith) that it was God who assailed him, Rupert. lib. 6. come. in Gen. and the more Jacob strove to hold him, the farther he got off his Hands. Where by the way I observe, that Rupertus believed, that it was God who in his own Person Wrestled with Jacob. This was also the belief of Theodoret and Tertullian; Theod. in Gen. Tertul. lib. 2. cont. Marc. yet it is not the most common opinion, and it is more agreeable unto the terms of holy Scripture, to say, that it was an Angel Wrestled with Jacob. Ozea in the twelfth Chapter of his Prophecy hath expressed it so clearly, that no Man can doubt it: And surely it seems that the Greatness and Majesty of God, did not permit him personally to descend into the List, and to Wrestle with a Man Body to Body, since an Angel might suffice for this combat. It is also more probable that this conflict was Corporal and sensible, than to believe that it was only interior, spiritual and apparent: we have a strong conjecture of it, by reason it lasted all the Night, and that it was not performed whilst Jacob slept, Tetigit nervum soemoris ejus, & statim emarcuit. Gen. 32. v. 25. but in such sort, as he saw his Adversary, who struck him so roughly on the thigh, as a Nerve being contracted, he began to feel one of his Legs shorter than the other. Besides, if this Duel had not been Body to Body, the Latin, Greek and Hebrew translation, had not made use of terms which denoted a sensible action, and so corporeal that Symacus spoke not otherwise of it, than he could have done concerning the combats off the ancient Wrestlers which fought in Greece before the People, by clasping each other with their Arms and Hands. This was not a feigned appearance, and an imaginary Duel, as this Learned Author affirms, but a contest who should throw his Companion on the ground. In fine, they grappled so lively with each other, Diritque ad eum, dimitte me: jar● 〈◊〉 ascendit aurora: respendit, non dimittam te nisi benedixe is mihi. Gen. 32. v. 26. At ille nequaquam, inquit, Jacob appellabitur nomen tuum, sed Israel, etc. Gen. 32. v. 28. that Jacob could not almost lose himself from his adversary, although the Aurora had sounded her retreat, and that the Angel was enforced to give him his Benediction, after he had changed the name of Jacob into that of Israel: so that from that time forward he must be called no more Jacob the Supplanter, but Israel, that is to say, the Emulator of an Angel, and as the vanquisher of God himself, who fought in the Person of this Angel, who seeing himself constrained to give him his blessing, assured him of the power and command he should have over Men, since he had had so much over God. Presently after Jacob losing the sight of this blessed Spirit, El●vans autem Jacob oculos suos vidit ve nientem Esau, & cum co quadringentos viros. Gen. 33. v. 1. E●ip●c progrediens adoravit pronus in terram septies. Gen. 33. v. 3. Currens itaque Esau obviam fratri suo amplea atus est eum, s●●ngensque collum ejus, & osculatus flevit. Gen. 33. v. 4. saw Esau a far off, who came directly towards him with four hundred Men attending on him. Jacob prostrated himself on the Earth, and adored him seven times; which Esau seeing he leapt on his Neck, embraced him most affectionately, and kissed him as his Brother. So true it is, that there is no Heart so brutish, nor any Soul so fierce, as yields not unto the attractives of sweetness, and unto the charms of virtue, then especially when it is not abject and sordid, but magnificent and generous like that of Jacob, who spared neither Honours, Presents, nor Words to gain Esau, and to remove out of his mind all the remnants of his fury. This is the way to quench a great flame with drops of Water; It is the way how to stop a torrent with a little Sand, and to amuse a Tiger with a little piece of Crystal: Force and rigour are the Weapons which are to be employed against Lions and Panthers? A secret to render himself Master of Hearts. But meekness and humility are the Darts and Arrows with which we must assault Men, if we desire to acquire command over their Hearrs. This was the Artifice Jacob used towards Esau; Atille ait: habeo plurima frater mi, sint tua tibi. Gen. 33. v. 9 and in effect Esau vanquished by his respects and attractives presently protested unto Jacob, that all his fortunes were at his service, and that he offered himself entirely to him. Behold then a secret to mollify stony Hearts, Empire over Souls. and to melt in a moment even Eyes of Marble: Behold the entrance into the Kingdom of Hearts, and the means to raise up unto ourselves a Throne amongst the most barbarous Nations. Nevertheless in the World there are courages of Steel which cannot be softened, torrents which cannot be stayed, and flames like those of Hell which cannot be quenched. In fine, there are some more inflexible than Esau, Inflexible courages. and in truth also there are very few who have the qualities of Jacob. For never any Man understood better than himself, the Art of conquering Hearts and the managing of Friendship. He was none of those who are taught the way of Courting, and who Learn the Laws of the World, like Parrots, which say what they do not: They know some punctilios and formalities, but are not versed in the knowledge of a virtuous Man, A good Man. who hath not only Compliments in his Mouth, studied respects, importune Ceremonies, slight and fantastical compliances; but actions & effects with most pure & sincere intentions, wherewith he charmeth the flames of Choler, and stifles the motions of Revenge even in the Soul of his Enemies. Behold the Weapons Jacob used to reunite himself to his Brother, Reversus est itaque illo die Esau itinere quo venerat in Seir. Gen. 33. v. 16. who would I believe never have left him, if he himself had not begged leave to departed with his Wives, Children, and Company; which Esau having willingly granted him, he went directly unto Salem which is upon the territory of Chanaan. This was the place where Sichem the Son of Hemor, Quam cum vidisset ●ichem filius Hemor Hevaei, princeps ter●ae illius, adamavit cam, etc. Gen. 34. v. 2. Auditoque quod acciderat, ●ati sunt valde Gen. 34. v. 7. Locutus est itaque Hemor ad eos: Sichem fi●● mei adhaesit anima ●●●tae vestrae, date eam ●lli uxorem. Gen. 34. v. 8. ●●●nsique sunt omnes co cum●●sis cunctis ma ibus. Gen. 34. v. 24. Et 〈◊〉 die tertio, quando gravissimus vulaerum dolor est: arrept is, duo filii Jacob, Simeon & Levi fiaties Dinae, gladiis, ingressi sunt urbem confidenter, interfectisque omnibus maseulis. Gen. 34. v. 25. Hemor & Sichem pariter necaverunt. Gen. 34. v. 26. Prince of the Sichemites, took the boldness to steal away Dina jacob's only Daughter. Her Brothers seeing the injury and affront this infamous person had done them, resolved to revenge themselves without pity. Notwithstanding Hemor used his utmost Endeavours to appease Jacob, and to convert this ravishment into a Marriage. The Contract was passed, and the Articles signed (as I may say) with the proper blood of Sichem and of all the Sichemites, who submitted unto Circumcision, to show that they received the Religion of Jacob and of his Children. This Sacrament nevertheless served but for an occasion of a more cruel and abominable Sacrilege: For upon the third Day after this general Circumcision, Simcon and Levi entered the City, where they first killed all the Male Children, than they fell upon Hemor and Sichem, and after many Murders, Pillaged, and ransaked all that was found therein, imagining after the violation of their Sister, whom they carried away, that there were no Laws neither Humane or Divine, which they might not now justly infringe. But I cannot believe that this Zeal was innocent; For in the sequel of his thorrid Tragedy, Criminal zeal. they could not be excused from Theft, Sacrilege, perfidiousness, nor particularly from Impiety towards their Father, when they exposed him to the hazard of his Life, and who for this reason was constrained immediately to leave his Country, Interea locutus est Deus ad Jacob, surge & ascend Bethel, etc. Gen. 35. v. 1. Dederunt ergo ei omves Deos alienos quos habebant, & inaures quae erant in auribus corum: at ille infodit easubter Terebinthum. Gen. 35. v. 4. Egressus autem inde venit ad terram, quae ducit Ephratam, in qua cum parturiret Rachel, Gen. 35. v. 16. Ob disficultatem partus periclitari coepit. Gen. 35. v. 17. Egrediente autem anima prae dolore, & imminente jam morte, vocavit nomen filii sui Benoni, etc. Gen. 35. v. 18. and to take refuge upon Mount Bethel, where at the Foot of a Terebinth Tree he burned all the Idols which his Wives and Servants secretly adored. After which God appeared the seventh time unto him. I doubt whether this were not peradventure the means to bring him the first news of his Wife's Death, and to prepare his mind unto a sharp Divorce. However it were, Jacob descended from Bethel, into the road leading to Ephrata, that is to say Bethelem. It was in this sad journey where Rachel after a thousand throws was constrained to pay the last tribute unto Nature. But before the closing of her Eyes and Mouth, she had the happiness to see a second Son, and to call him Benoni, as the fruit of her labour, being born upon her ashes. Jacob nevertheless lost no courage, but had Faith and Hope enough to believe that this Child would be the support of his Family and the Staff of his old age, which was the cause, he changed the fatal name of Benoni into that of Benjamin, which promiseth nothing but happiness. End of the third Book. THE HOLY HISTORY, FIRST TOME. Joseph and his Brethren. FOURTH BOOK. I am confident some will say at the first view of the title of this History, that this is to give a second touch to a Picture, which hath been drawn by the prime Masters of the World, and to carry a Torch into a Country, where the Sun is in his Meridian. Nevertheless I do not doubt but such as shall have framed this judgement, may condemn their promptitude, when they shall see that it was never my design to add any draughts unto such accomplished works; But only to take out a most faithful Copy of them, observing the traces which those skilful Hands have marked out. CHAP. I. Joseph sold by his Brethren. WE cannot discern saith Solomon, Solom. Prov. c. 30. v. 18. the tract of a Bird which flies in the Air, the Print of a Serpent which glideth along upon the Earth, and the paths of a Vessel sailing in a Calm Sea: But it is yet more difficult to comprehend the motion and course of a Man who enters into the World like an Eagle, Four things very difficult to comprehend in the World. who gins to stir his Wings to take his flight; like an Adder which creeps on his Belly, and like a Frigate exposed to the Sea and Winds. None but God alone who giving him his flight, and marking out to him his ways, sees in weighing Anchor the Region, Period, and Shoar, where his Courses, Voyages, and Navigations must terminate. It is God who bears in his own Bosom the Card on which his adventures and destinies are marked. The Eyes of God are the Torches which enlighten him in his deviations; And it is his Hand which points out his lodging even in the Tomb. Men nevertheless remain astonished in their own affairs, they are as it were Blind in their proper Interests, and float in the Uncertainty of Accidents, which make up this whole Contexture of their lives. Jacob was ignorant why Heaven had so long differed the Birth of its Joseph; Joseph cum sexdecim esset annorum pascebat gregem. And Joseph understood not God's manner of Conduct, nor that of his Father Jacob, when he went unto his Brethren who were driving their flocks through the Meadows of Chanaan, It was there nevertheless where he passed the Apprenticeship of his future Regality: the Sheephook, he carried in his Hand, was but the Image of the power God prepared for him; Accusavitque fiatres sues apud Patrem crimine pessimo. Gen. 37. v. 2. and in accusing his Brethren of that crime which must not be named, he performed an Act of Justice, which testified that his Government should not only extend to Herds of Beasts, but also unto Men, and all Egypt, where he was to be Pharao's Lieutenant. But as the most elevated fortunes have usually their foundations upon Rocks; As the Crowns of Roses appear not but amongst Thorns; and as before our ascending on a Throne of Honour, Mixture of Fortune. we must often pass under Abysses, and through most dangerous precipices: so Joseph shall not take the reigns of Egypt, until he hath been tied up like a Beast, and sold as a slave even by those who will be one Day his Captives; and he must come forth of a Pit to go unto the Court, where God expects him, to make a Vice-King of the Person of a Shepherd. But more narrowly and diligently to observe the courses and ways which led him unto the Empire, Isiacl autem diligebat Joseph super o●nes silies suos. Gen. 37. v. 3. we must presuppose that Jacob loved nothing equal to his little Joseph; wherein truly he was excusable: for we commonly affect most dearly what we have long desisired: and it was almost impossible to be the Father of so accomplished a Son, without having peculiar tendernesses and passions for him. Fecitque ei tunicam poly●itam. Gen. 37. v. 3. Videntes autem fratres esus quod à Patre plus cumits diligeretur, oderunt cum, nec poterant ci quicau●m pacifice loqui. Gen. 37. v. 4. I know not nevertheless whether his affection was well regulated, when it caused Joseph to wear his Liveries upon a Garment of several colours, which wrought such different impressions in the Hearts of his Brethren, as from that time they bore nothing but hatred and envy towards him. In vain was it for them to conceal their thoughts: for the fury of a passionate Soul increaseth the more we strive to hid it, and either soon or late this thunderbolt must rend the Clouds, and this fire must break forth through the ashes wherein it was hid. That which augmented these murdering flames amongst joseph's Brethren, was the candour wherewith he opened to them all the accidents and motions of his Heart. Amongst other things it one Day happened, Accidit quoque ut visum somnium referrec fratribus suis: quae causa majoris od●●●minarium fuit. Gen. 37. v. 5. Dixieque ad eos: Audite somnium quod vidi. Gen. 37. v. 6. Putab. ●n nos ligare manipulos in agro, & qu●si consu●g●re manipulup● meum, & stare, vestrosque manipulos circumstan●es adorare manipul●n meum. Gen. 37. v. 7. that being in the midst of them, he was so candid, and free, as to relate unto them what had passed in his sleep. Brethren (says he,) I saw myself, in a dream, with you in the Fields, and presently me thought that we there bound up together some sheafs of Corn: But afterwards I perceived mine to rise up above yours, and there was not one which did not adore it. Doth not this peradventure portend, replied his Brethren, that you must be one Day our King and we your Subjects? I know not whether Joseph did approve of this Augury, and whether he were not so innocent as to take this jealousy and raillery for an effect of their Love. Et ait: vidi per sommum, quasi & Luaam, & Stellas undccim adorare me. Gen. 37. v. 9 For he went on telling them, that during this sleep he found himself in his Bed as upon a Thront, and that at his Feet, he saw the Sun, Moon, and eleven Stars, which did Homage to him as unto a God. Jacob heard this discourse, Quod cum Patri suo, & fratribus retulisset, increpuit cum Pater suus, & dixi●: Quid sibi vult hoc somnium quod vidisti? man ego & Mater tua, & fratres tui adorabimus te super terram. Gen. 37. v. 10. and seeing that all these entertainments, though innocent, did cast a thousand seeds of Discord and Envy into the Souls of his Brethren, seemed to be offended, and then addressing himself unto Joseph he says to him. What! my Son, art thou not ashamed to relate fables and dreams? whereby it seems by your fancies, and vain imaginations, you pretend that myself, your Mother, and your Brothers should render you Honour as to our Sovereign. Truly you speak pleasantly. Now if you be wise speak no more so indiscreetly, or at least in being awake correct the error of your dreams, and if the Night deceive you, let the Day discover the falsehood of your illusions. Jacob mean while took notice of these Dreams as so many Presages of some truth: Pater verò rem tacitus considerabat. For he knew that the most part of Nightly imaginations are commonly natural effects, which proceed either from repletion, emptiness, or the Ideas we have in the Day time, or else from some illusions of the Devil: yet he was assured that the Dreams of Joseph were no imaginary figures and confused vapours, nor phantasms, disordered exhalations, nor the smokes and flames of a preceding Fire; nor in fine, spectres and Idols of a tenebrous power; but Draughts, cyphers, and mysterious representations, which God or some Angel had imprinted in his Soul. It is of this fourth kind of dreams, Philo spoke in anexpress Treatise, and it is that alone which Chrysippus defined, Chrysip. ex cit. lib. de divin. saying, A Dream is a Celestial virtue and a Divine Ray which Heaven hath cast into our Souls, and of which they make use, to penetrate the shadows which are wont to hid truth from our Eyes. And it is the Hand of God, or the Pencil of an Intelligence which then renders Images intelligible whose Ideas and originals reside in the source of Essences, and whose colours are in the mysterious Ordinances of time and Eternity. Such was joseph's vision: But Jacob knowing on the one side, that this Revelation was but a Copy of the Designs God had on him; And on the other side seeing that this was but a ground of scandal, hatred, and envy to his Brethren, he resolved to sever them for a time, to the end by this separation in their absence, he might smother all these Fires which were enkindled by the Goodness of the one, and the Malice of the rest. For this purpose Jacob had no other expedient than to retain Joseph in his House, Pate and to send all his Brethren into the Country. Imagining besides, that by separating Bodies, he might reunite their Minds, and alter their passions. But this was only to sever a Dove from Vultures, and Sheep from Wolves; it only whets their natural rage and mortal Antipathy, when they are withheld from their prey, and when they sent it a far off. I know that the Fields are innocent. But they cease not for all this to be retreits for Criminals. The solitariness of Woods and Meadows is the Element of Meekness and Peace: but we must bring thither tame Hearts, and quiet Souls. In fine, it is a very sweet and pleasing vocation to guide Sheep and Lambs upon Hills and Dales: But if Lions be their conductors, they are so far from being changed, as on the contrary they will find every moment new baits and allurements to inflame their cruelty. We must not hope then, that time, place, Cumque fratres illiu● in pascendis gregibus Patris morarentur in Sichem, Gen. 37. v. 32. Dixit ad cum Israel: fratres tui pascunt Oves in Sichem, veni, mittam te ad eos. Gen. 37. v. 15. and employment can alter these Tigers, which Jacob sends into the plains of Sichem, to guide his Flocks. Nevertheless after some delay conceiving that their humours were sweetened, and, that the divertisements of a Country Life had made them forget what passed in his House, Praesto sum, ait ei, vade & vide si cuncti prospera sint, etc. Gen. 37. v. 14. he resolved to send his Joseph to them, who had no sooner taken notice of his Father's desire, but at the very instant he began his journey. This amiable Dove, and this Lamb, went passionately crawling upon Vultures and Wolves, when a passenger met him, who told him that his Brethren were in Dothaim. Invenitque eum vir ●rantem in agro & interrogavit, quid quareret; Gen. 37. v. 15. At ille respondit, fratres meos quaero. Gen. 37. v. 16. Dixitque ei vir: exaudivi eos Aicentes eamus in Dothaim. Gen. 37. v. 17. Ah poor Child! whether goest thou thus abandoned and all alone, straying in the Deserts, without Father, Friends, and defence? Joseph what seekest thou? I seek saith he, my Brethren. Thy Brothers? deceive not thyself; why dost thou seek them? Dost thou not know the hatred they bear to thee, and the tragic design they have upon thy life? My God how secure is Innocence, how calm is Virtue, and generally how happy are Men, when they follow the impulses of God? Assured Innocence. The Spirit of the World is an unquiet, turbulent, fearful, dissembling, mutable, fantastic, and outrageous Devil: But that of Heaven is an Angel of Peace, always equal, without emotion, without terrors, without inconstancy, without Capriciousness, and free from all Jealousy, as also from all those shadows which make a tenebrous Chaos of the purest Lights, and place Night in the midst of Day. It is no wonder then if Joseph were secure in the midst of dangers; Perrexit e●go Joseph post fratres suos, & invenit eos in Dothaim. Gen. 37. v. 17. for God who possessed his Soul freed him from those panic terrors, and those unquiet fears, which assassinate the wicked: it sufficed him to obey his Father, and provided he meet with his Brethren, his mind is satisfied. Mean while these impious Spirits, Qui cum vidissent eum procul, etc. Gen. 37. v. 18. which extend their vengeance even to rage, perceived him a far off: but as if the shadows of their own crimes had cast veyls over their Eyes, or stifled in their Hearts all sense of Nature, they did not acknowledge him for their Brother, or at least they would not call him by this, so amiable, so sweet, and so powerful a name. Et mutuò loquebantur, ecce somniator venit. Gen. 37. v. 19 Venite occidamus eü, & mittamus in Cysternam veterem, dicemusque fera pessima devoravit eum. Gen. 37. v. 20. Audience autem haec Reuben, niteb●tur liberare eum, etc. Gen. 37. v. 21. Non interficiatis animam ejus, nec effundatis sanguinem, etc. Gen. 37. v. 22. Hoc autem dicebat, volens eripere eum de manibus corum, etc. Gen. 37. v. 22. Confestim igitur ut pervenit ad fratres suos, nudaverunt eum tunica talari & polymita. Gen. 37. v. 23. Et sedentes ut comederent panem, viderunt Ismaclitas viato es venire de Galaad, etc. Gen. 37. v. 25. Dixit ergo Judas fratribus suas: Quid nobis prodest si occiderimus fra●rem nostr●ü, & celaver●●●●s sanguinem ipsius? Gen. 37. v. 26. Behold this dreamer, say they, who comes unto us, and they looking upon one another, before he approached any nearer, they resolved to take away his Life, and to cast him into a Well which was near at Hand; to the end they might say unto Jacob, that a cruel and ravenous Beast had devoured Joseph. Afterwards, this bloody design would have been accomplished, if Reuben, who was their Elder Brother, had not opposed it; Remonstrating to them that at least it were much better to take him aside, and bury him alive in some Pit, than to kill him; and that by this means, their Hands would not be polluted with his Blood, the stains whereof are never to be effaced. This was a pretence, and an occasion the more easily to free and restore him unto his Father. In effect Joseph having accosted them, Reuben cast himself on his Neck. But the rest immediately took off his Garment, and then put him into an old Pit where there was no Water. Mean while they all sat round about the place, in which they had enclosed this Lamb. At the same time behold some Merchants passing by who were going into Egypt. Whereupon Judas who feared lest hunger, thirst, nakedness, cold, and the horrors of a Well might stifle Joseph, took occasion to conjure his Brethren, to sell him rather unto the Ismaelites than to render themselves culpable of his death, and become the Authors of a crime which useth to raise storms of Blood. These Remonstrances were as so many lightnings which dissipated this Cloud, and the Thunderbolts, which these cruel Brethren Darted against their Prisoner, did not ruin him but for a time. Joseph must be taken out of the Well to be exposed for sale unto the Merchants: Ex trahentes cum de Cysterna vendiderunt Ismaelitis. Gen. 37. v. 28. But if Death be sweeter than Captivity, and if a courageous person hath less repugnancy to receive a Stab with a Dagger into his Heart, than to have manacles on his Hands; This generous Youth was very unhappy to come out of a Sepulchre to serve unknown Masters, and a sort of people to whom the hope of profit rendered all things vendible, even liberty itself, which is yet a thousand times more precious than Life. Joseph then is set to sale unto any that will give money for him; He is naked, but resembleth not those Birds which are most valued for their feathers. The Proclamation of Joseph. He hath a tender and delicate Body, but a generous and penetrating Spirit; He is covered all over with dust, but it is but a Cloud which hides for a time the Face of the Sun; He speaks not a word, but it is modesty which closeth his Mouth, and renders his silence more eloquent than a long discourse; He is ashamed, but it is of his Brother's crime; He shakes, but it is for fear lest God's designs be not accomplished. Behold Joseph who will. Alas! what Proclamations? what sale? and what commerce? Judas what are you doing? Unmerciful Brethren, have you not a horror to sell your own Blood, and to part with a Brother for a few pieces of Silver? Ah what! Powerful motives to divert joseph's Brethren from their wicked designs. are not these Eyes and looks capable of mollifying your furies? doth not this innocent move you to compassion? Is not this little naked and trembling Body, an object more worthy of pity than envy? Remember that he is a part of yourselves, the delight of your Father, and the last hope your Family can have. It is true, that at present he is but a Reed, but he may grow unto a Palm, and extend his Branches throughout all Judea. It is true, he is Young, but he hath the wit and Spirit of a Man, aged no less than a hundred years. And besides he may chance one day to change his thraldom into an honourable liberty: But if the dreams he had, oblige you to fear the event, they come either from God or not; if of God; Ah surely it is against him you make War: If not, why do you arm yourselves against an Idol of Wind, and a Phantasm of vanity? All these motives were not powerful enough to divert the current of these impious and execrable designs: Nevertheless the furies of envy are torrents which have no bounds nor limits, nothing being able to stop them. The bargain is then made, Joseph is sold, Qui duxerunt eum in Aegyptum. Gen. 37. v. 28. Reversusque Ruben ad Cysternam, non invenit puerum. Gen. 37. v. 29. and they that bought him for a slave, bring him into Egypt without bearing any respect either unto his Youth, beauty, extraction, or all the good qualities which made him so much amiable. Whilst they were carrying him away behold Reuben, who not being present at this sale, and knowing nothing of what passed, went directly unto the Well, and often called upon Joseph. When he saw he made no answer, he thought him Dead, either naturally or by violence; whereupon he began to run as one distracted, and fearfully to cry out. Alas! where is Joseph? where is this poor Youth? The sighs of Reuben. where have they put him? what have they done with him? And what is become of him? Joseph where art thou? Ah whither shall I go? and how can I live, Et scissis vestibus pergens ad fratres suos ait: puer non comparet, & ego quo ibo? Gen. 27. v. 30. if thou dost live no more? what will my Father say unto me? and on whom will he lay the blame? Must not I render an account of him as his Elder Brother? Brethren what answer do you make me? is he alive? is he Dead? if he be Dead where is his Body, that I may Water it with my tears, to power out part of my grief by my Eyes? Brethren show me him I beseech you, or some of his relics? Ah where is his Sepulchre? where is the happy Land which hides this Treasure? But if he be still living, where is he? and to what place have you sent him? I will seek, I will seek every where until I find him? It is enough for me if I may see him, and but once more speak to him; he knows the affection I bear him, and the confidence he ought to have in me. Ah! where is Joseph then? Reuben quiet thyself, for Joseph is not Dead, but only sold. Ah! what commerce? Joseph sold? what rage of envy? what inhuman traffic? what negotiation and what cruelty? Joseph in fetters and bondage, Joseph sold as a slave, what will my father say? what stroke of death will this news give him? and how can he ever live being deprived of all hope to see his Son again? Notwithstanding all these Remonstrances, Tulerunt autem tunicam ejus & in sanguine haedi quem occiderunt ●inxerunt. Gen. 37. v. 31. they resolved to cut the throat of a Kid to steep joseph's garments in his blood: which being done, they sent it all bloody unto Jacob, with direction to those that carried it, to bid him look whether it were not his Son's garment, Mittentes qui ferrent ad patrem, & dicerent; hunc invenimus, vide utrum tunica tui filii sit, an non. Gen. 37. v. 32. and say that they had found it in this sad plight. I know not who was the Messenger that delivered this dreadful spoil unto Jacob; But Jacob casts his eyes upon this sad present, and seeing this bloody torn garment, became saith Philo, presently silent, grief wanting words to answer the thoughts of his mind, and the resentments of his heart. Quam cum agnovisset pater, ait tunica filii mei est, sera pessima commedit eum, bestia devoravit Joseph. Genes. 37. v. 33. His astonished eyes, as also his mouth, were suspended for a time, as to their function, he saw and heard nothing, but of murdered Ghosts which spoke confusedly to him. The excess of grief puts arms into his hands against himself, Seissisque vestibus indutus est cilicio, lugens filium suum multo tempore. Gen. 37. v. 34. he tears off his hair, and dilacerates his breast, and all his garments. But his tears efface not the blood before his eyes. His silence makes him no answer, and the holy vengeance he exerciseth on himself doth not punish the Authors of his grief. Congregatis autem curctis liberis ejus, ut lenicent delorem patris, notuit consolationem accipere, etc. Genes. 37. v. 35. Meanwhile all jacob's friends and servants wept bitterly, nothing was heard throughout the whole house, but cries, sobs, and accusations. Every one strove to kiss his garment, and Jacob could hardly tear it out of their hands to cry out, Ah! this is my Son's garment, it is the garment of my Joseph. Ah my Son! Mournful complaint of Jacob. my Joseph! it is not so much thy death I deplore, as the loss I procured to myself, during thy life, by sending thee too soon out of my house; And besides, by what more strange kind of death couldst thou be taken from me? At least if I had been a witness of this sad accident, and if thy body had remained with me, I should have had this chaste pledge to charm my sadness. If some sickness had carried thee away in my presence, I should have rendered thee all the duties which a father cannot deny a son; I should have kissed thy mouth, I should have closed thine eyes, I should have received thy last words and sighs; I should possess in a Tomb the ashes of a Phoenix, and I might have erected on his Sepulchre a Pile and Altar to enlighten my hopes, and entertain my vows. But I snatched away thy life, before thy death. I lost thee during thy life, and my excessive compliance hath been the cause of it. My son, I have lost thee, I have slain thee, and I know not where is thy Tomb. O Heaven! O God Alas! at least had the toils of his journey left him at the foot of some Tree, or had he been buried in some corner of the Earth, I should enjoy the contentment to seek him out, and I should comfort myself in possessing but a part of my son with the loss of the other. But O the most disconsolate, and the most unhappy of all fathers! I can have nothing of my Joseph but this bloody garment, the rest hath been devoured by some Tiger or Lion, and the same sweetness hath no other Tomb, but the belly of a wild beast. Yes surely, it was a wild Beast, and a cruel Monster which devoured my Joseph. It was the Envy of his Brethren which gave them Talons, Claws and Teeth. It was this merciless passion which stripped him of his garment, cast him into the Well, and shamefully sold him. Behold the Domestic Monster which will never be made tame, behold the bloody beast which lives only upon the flesh and heart of its like. In fine, it is envy against which fathers and mothers must be always armed, and which they ought to banish for ever out of their families, for as much as, First, it is a Cantharideses, The nature and qualities of Envy. which fastens upon the fairest flowers, and seeks out Milk and Honey to spread its venom on them. Secondly, it is less reasonable, by how much it hath more of Reason: For being found only amongst men, it renders them more inhuman than beasts, which cannot be moved by these tragic instigations. Thirdly, the furies of Envy are so shameful, as they seek always to pass under the colour of some other passion. Fourthly, its breath, though stinking, fastens on virtue, but the stings of it are as honourable to that person who bears them, as infamous to him that causeth them. Fifthly, it hath the eyes of an Owl, which are dazzled at the sight of the fairest lights, and which cannot endure the splendour of a most luminous day. Basilius in Homil. de Invid. Sixthly, it hath more cruel talons and teeth than Tigers and Dragons; for it spares neither parents, friends, nor benefactors. Seventhly, its nourishment, repose, and delight, are in bitterness and acerbity: Hence it proceeds that the mouth and heart of it are still infectious. Eighthly, it is a Viper which draws death upon itself, in giving life unto her young, and tears its own belly to produce some venomous Serpent. Ninthly, it is a Chameleon which converts itself into a thousand colours, and every moment changeth its skin lest we discern its nature and inclination. In fine, it is a monstrous Cerberus, which hath the heart and head of all the most dreadful Animals under heaven. It is the Ape which in the time of Augustus entered the Temple of Ceres; the Owl which flew even over the Altars of Concord; The Dragon with two heads which devasted part of the Universe, and which having exhaled his venom upon the Cradle of the world, will never cease till he hath vomited forth the remainder of his rage in the tomb. CHAP. II. The Combats of Joseph for defence of his Chastity. IT is true that Envy is a ravenous beast: But yet what ever we may say, its furies are not to be compared with those of Love when it hath once broken the chains wherewith God and Nature fastened it. It is this Devil which disturbs Families, arms Provinces, ruins States, desolates Paradise, and people's Hell. It is a flaming Torch which inkindles fires even in the midst of water, a Northern wind which raiseth a Thousand Tempests, a Lightning which consumes men's Spirits, and in fine, it is a Passion ever blind, yet covered over with Eyes, which serve it as gates by which it useth to steal in under perfidious Baits and enchanting Looks. Deadly shafts. It was for this reason the profane painted their Loves with darts of death, which they cast at each other, and which, as a Grecian said, were as so many glances which they wantonly gave one another, though their Eyes ought to be veiled. But Love hath insolence enough to lift up the Scarf which covers its Eyes, or at least it sees notwithstanding this veil, and commonly it mingles shafts and glances to commit Sacrileges and Murders. This homicide lays ten Thousand Snares, he is always watchful, and there is no Dove this Vulture assaults not as soon as she appears; and when by mishap he hath seized on her, I know not by what Enchantment, and by what Spells, the heart of this unfortunate prey is taken: But it seems in an Instant to become a Furnace, and that the flames enkindled therein issuing through the Eyes, may change the Earth into a Pyle. Franciseas' Valeriota. lib. 2. obser. These are insulphured Vapours, fiery Smokes, dreadful Exhalations, dark Shadows, Idols, and unchaste Images, Arist. lib. de somno & vigilia. at the sight whereof the Eyes are dazzled, and Reason becomes blind. Then Piety is but Idolatry, Disorders of Love. all duties become scorns, Complacences Treacheries, Empires Servitudes, Liberty Bondage, Loves-alurements Snares, Thrones Precipices, and a Chaos where houses are overthrown, Temples profaned, and all Laws confounded; what horror, what disorder, what abomination, even women who ought to be a Refuge of honour, Horrible Chaos. and a Sanctuary of purity, Mulier amissa pudicicitia, null 'em flagitii respui●. Cor. Jac. often serve as a retreat unto the fondest affections, and there is no faith, no Sacrament, no modesty, they do not violate, when once their hearts have escaped through their Eyes. The wife of Putiphar, Enritque eum Putiphar de manu Ismaelitarum. Gen. 39 v. 1. to whom Joseph was sold by the Ismaelites, made it sufficiently appear, when she was so impudent, as to attempt the Chastity of her Servant; This Female wolf had only Eyes to gaze on this Lamb, Post multos itaque des injecit domina sua occulos suo●in Joseph. Gen. 39 v. 7. all her gestures and motions were artifices to entrap him; and she would have willingly preferred the inthrallment of Joseph before the Command over her Husband. All her bonds of Marriage were but Chains which kept her in Captivity, and the most just, and most holy Laws imposed on her, a Yoke which rendered all the duties of sidelity, which Wives own unto their Husbands, insupportable to her. She yet wanted not dexterity to dissemble her Passion in her Husband's presence; and herein Love is usually most disloyal and deceitful: for though all its fires be violent, impetuous, sharp and sparkling, yet if the object which inkindles them be not present, they prove but ashes, coldnesses, and frozen Nights, under which this Traitor useth to hid his Torch; Pernicious study. Then all Actions are studied, all gestures counterfeits, all discourses falsehoods, and all that appears outwardly seems to have no other design than to deceive the heart. To this effect we seek out suborned Messengers, retirements for assigned meetings, blind, dumb, and deaf witnesses, secret Intelligences, enchanted gifts, invisible pretences, painted and Sacrilegious devotions, Nights without days and hours which are only marked out upon shadows; for the light of the Sun, the noise of a Bell, too apparent impiety, too visible presents, too violent solicitations, indiscreet confederates, public places, and Friends, or unfaithful Servants might discover the secret. It is a strange thing that we can hardly trust ourselves, and that the Tongue dares not speak a word, or at least if she speaks, it is but after she hath pondered all her discourses. Wherefore the Eyes are the first solicitours of evil, and then their silence hath an Eloquent voice, which is yet not heard, but by those that are Confederates. It is no wonder then, Qui nequaquam acquiescent operi nesario, dixit, etc. Gen. 39 v. 9 if Joseph heard not this unchaste language, when his Mistress spoke to him more from her Eyes than her Mouth. This Impudent creature cast a thousand glances on him: But the heart of Joseph was a piece of Marble, which could not be pierced, all the Flames of this Egyptian woman fell into a dead Sea, and all her lightnings found nothing but water which instantly quenched them. We must pass then further, Et ait: dormi mecum. Gen. 39 v. 7. and see whether the Mouth peradventure will have more powerful persuasions than the Eyes. This shameless woman is so much enraged as to declare her design. O God what Insolence! what Fury! and what Frenzies! when once the mind is possessed with Love: but there are two sorts of loves, and that which is Son of the Earth is very weak, when opposed to that which is born in Heaven. Courage than Joseph, it is a Woman who assaults and solicits you! she is light, be you constant; she hath stratagems, be you prudent; she is bold, be you generous; she runs, fly away; she Flatters, disdain her; she asks, refuse her. Joseph what do you say? For my part, saith he, Victorious Innocence. I neither can nor will consent unto a woman's Lascivious desires, nor submit unto her will, preferring it before that of my Master; and I should not be what I am, if I forfeited the quality of a faithful Servant, and of a person to whom the honour and remembrance of the favours I have received from him, is a thousand times more precious than life. If I have been sold, it was only for my Innocency, and the chains of my Captivity could never force the constancy an Hebrew ought to have in the way of virtue. I am jacob's son, and my actions shall never belly my birth, I am a Servant, Ecce Dominus meus omnibus mihi traditis, etc. Gen. 39 v. 8. Nec q●icquam est qued non in mea sit potestate, vel non tradiderit miht propter te, quomodo trgo possum hoc malum faeere, & peccare in Deum me●m? Gen. 39 v. 9 I ought to die for fidelity: your Husband trusts me with all his Goods, and with all his Wealth, which the favour of the King, and his own merits have bestowed on him; he reserved only to himself the solely Enjoying you: It is not for me then to ravish from him what is his due by so many titles. Command me with Justice, and I will serve you with sincerity; perform all that you ought, and I will omit no part of my duty to you. Keep yourself within the laws of Marriage, and leave me in the duties of my condition. I should be ungrateful if I abused the favours of my Master, I should be a thief if I stole away his fairest goods, and no death could be cruel enough to punish me, if I should attempt on that which is more dear to him than life. All your flames can find in me but a heart of water and ice, and all your ties cannot enthral the liberty of my mind, and your rigours will never mollify a soul on which God hath imprinted his love and fear. Know then that I would rather choose to die free from blame, than to live a complice in your distoyalty. I prefer my bondage if it be innocent, before all unjust Powers; and what misfortune soever befall me, I shall be too happy, if I remain innocent. It was in the power of my brethren to sell my body, but they could not engage my soul; I may serve without prostituting myself, and my glory will ever be illustrious enough if I shall do no dishonourable act, and unworthy of my Extraction. In fine, I adore a God who hath most pure eyes, and should all creatures be blind, it satisfies me, that he be the witness of my actions; I reverence all his decrees, and if all the Judges of the world could authorize vice, it would comfort me to have a God always armed to punish them. How can you wish me then to bring Adultery into your Family, and to change your bed, Angelical Resolution. which ought to be the Altar of your glory, into an infamous Pile? No, no Madam, either leave honour to me with life, or take from me my life, and leave me my honour. Is not this ●o speak like and Angel, and to have the sentiments of those spirits who live in flames without being consumed, and amidest lightnings without being dazzled? Nevertheless, it is little considerable to assault an impudent love by bare words, we must have other weapons in our hands to encounter it; and the victory is never certain, until we have either publicly decried or banished it: We must cry out Murder in like occasions, we must call for witnesses, use threats, and at least triumph by a generous flight, or by a prudent retreat. There are some Passions which fly when they are pursued, Very different Nature of Passions. and like shadows never fasten themselves unto bodies. There are some who have so much modesty as to blush at the bare sight of an object, and others whom the least denial banisheth for ever; but the loves of the World and Egypt often find their nourishment and delights in Conversations, looks, and even in the midst of disdain; and nothing but separations distance them from their desires and pretensions. Such was the Devil of this Egyptian Woman, The Devil of Egypt. who so eagerly pursued Joseph, he was an insolent, importunate and furious companion. His rage notwithstanding had by fits some relaxation, he knew the art of dissembling, and to be silent for a time; his Element was solitude, and the night his refuge, he sighed always after Joseph, and nothing pleased him when he was absent. In fine, he seems to have the power, to possess this Soul if she be alone, and if all witnesses be drawn aside. Be ware then Joseph, what you do; you are alone, you are young, you are beautiful, and Esteemed. Remember that the eyes of Women dart as many lightnings as glances; Hususcemodi verbis per singulos dies, & mulier molesta et al adolescenti, & ille recusabat fluprum. Gen. 39 v. 10. call to mind that their mouths shed honey and poison, and that their tongues cast more dangerous darts than Adders: Contemn then what ever this impudent creature can say unto you. She will peradventure, Cruel battery. say she is your Mistress, and that you ought to obey her; And that if she affect you, you cannot hate her, and if she seek you, you have no reason to fly from her; she will conjure you to tell her, what in her displeaseth you. Since she omits nothing that may content you, and without injustice you cannot refuse her one single favour she expects from you; Especially she being ready, on her part, to grant all that you can ask of her. There is no colour, she will not employ to represent unto you her passion; And her eyes though silent, will swear to you, that they have often enough spoken to you, when her mouth durst not utter a word: that if it were possible, she would believe that she hath by her words manifested to you all the thoughts of her soul, when they might have been kept secret: Besides, she will flatter you, saying, you have refused her that out of prudence, which now you ought to grant her through love and goodness. Moreover, if you fear any thing, she will assure you that she hath foreseen all that may expose you unto danger. In fine, she will entreat, that if she hath no fortunes in the world, which are not at your disposure, you would yet receive her respect and affections to render you more absolute and independent, concluding by all these reasons, that you must at last satisfy her either by violence, or sweetness, and that she will have either honour or life, death or consent. Behold a fierce assault against the chastity of Joseph. His flesh however was not made of brass, nor his heart of a Diamond: But it may be spoken of him what Sparta said of a young Cavalier, who having a long time passed amongst Ladies and Conversations, as Planets upon dirt without receiving any stain, deserved to be called the Sun of his Age. Joseph had attractives in his eyes, Erat autem Joseph pul●bra fact & decorous aspectu. Gen. 39 v. 6. and rays on his face, purer than those of the Sun. He never fell into those Eclipses which impallidates the most beautiful Planets; and often mix night and darkness with the most glorious days. He was an illuminated Sun which pursues his Career, and which God alone was able to stay: In vain was it for Sirens to sing on the shore, and the winds to whistle on the Sea, and in the world, he looked upon his period at which he must necessarily arrive. Mean while let us see I beseech you, Furions' temptation. what strong endeavours are used to stay him. They flatter him, they praise him, they love him, they honour him, they conjure him, they threaten him, they make him promises. What will you have, and what more can be done to gain him, and possess his affections? Entreaties have hitherto received but refusals, Allurements disdains, and threats constancy, and neglect. In fine, E●illa apprehensa lac●nia vestimenti ejus diceret: dormi mecum, qui relicto in manu e●●s pallio fugit, & egressus est foras. Gen. 39 v. 12. an attempt must be made on the life of him whose honour she could not wound; She leaps on his neck, as it were to strangle him, but presently Joseph flies away, and leaving his garment in her hands, she had but the Feathers of this bird which she thought to detain in her nests. Behold then all her Designs defeated; Joseph is escaped, he is in safety, and out of the reach of this ravenous she-wolfe, which pursued him. I said not amiss, that flights and separations are commonly the guardians of Chastity, Sanctuary of modesty. and that the purest affections are never so prudent, as when they make a wise retreat. In vain is it to say that Virginity hath power to erect Altars in Souls, and to Consecrate them unto God. I know what that glorious and chaste Martyr, who bore in his breast the purest and most holy of all names said of it. I know also that a Virgin-soul is a living Temple, and a Sanctuary where those Fires are always seen, which God alone, and his Angels have enkindled. But if this Temple be once open to all goers and comers, and this so famous Sentence, which banisheth from thence all sorts of impurity, be not engraven on the gate, immediately we shall see all the Torches extinguished, and impure and Lascivious Megeraes will be so bold as to take place of the Vestals. We shall see abominable Idols in the place of a Crucifix, and a Dagon upon the Throne of Jesus. At the same time the Angels of peace will forsake this Babylon, and after they have watered with their tears this Infamous Dungeon, it will be no longer but a receptacle of Devils. Happy then are those Souls which imitate Joseph, The Image of Chastity. and fly all occasions and encounters where their honour might be in danger. Joseph ought to be the Picture which all young men should still place before their Eyes. This innocent Piece ought to be their Mirror; All his looks will give them most pure ardours, and all the marks of his Constancy will put a stay to their most wavering and inconstant humours. Surely it is an irreparable damage, irreparable loss. and a shameful loss to abandon that which we can never recover when once lost. Purity is not like those flowers which are gathered in the Summer, and may be replanted in the Winter. It is a Crystal which cannot be mended if it chance to be broken; It is that eye of the Soul, whose blindness is incurable, and the wheel of an Engine which cannot be set right, if it be once out of frame. I confess nevertheless, that there is some difficulty in this point, and that there requires much virtue and courage to walk on the fire, and to resist the violence of its flames. Persecution of Modesly. We are in an Age in which it is not usual to see Children in the Furnace of Babylon, for whom flames are Changed into sweet Western gales and delicious dews. Joseph is no more, and yet there are Ladies who seek him, and even prosecute his Ghost and Image. Joseph is no more, and we may justly say of him what the Philosophers and Poets have affirmed of Truth, that her Garment and Veil remains on the Earth, and that her Soul hath taken her flight even unto Heaven. What disaster for Chastity? and what shame for this Sex, in which Virginity ought to have her Cradle, her Nurses, her Sisters, her Friends and Companions? What scandal to see a Lady of quality borrowing Countenances, plastering Old Age, painting Deformity, whitening a yellow Skin, discovering her Breasts, a head loaden with sweet Powder and Jewels, and bearing on her body all that she hath of Value? In fine, if all these allurements be not powerful enough, and if they cannot obtain by sweetness what they desire, they become enraged, and resolve entirely to destroy an Innocent. This enraged Woman seeing then that Joseph was fled, and that he had only left her his Cloak, Cumque vidisset mulier vestem in manibus suis, & se esse contemptam, Gen 39 v. 13 resolved at the instant to revenge this affront, and accuse him whom she knew to be too pure to excuse himself. O God what outrages of passions, what artifices of infirmity, and how true it is, that there is nothing more deceitful and dangerous than a woman who loveth, hopeth, hateth, or feareth some danger. This Dame cried out first, Vocavit ad se homines domus suae, & all ad eos: ●n introduxit virum Hebraeum, ut illuderet nobis: Ingressus est ad me ut coiret mecum: Cumque ego succlamassem, Gen. 39 v. 14. Insolent Artifice. and the fear she hath to be accused, is the occasion she takes those for Witnesses of her innocency, who could have prevented her. After all, seeing her Husband at her door, Help saith she, to what am I reduced? Ah! who hath given me for a Servant an Importunate Devil, who persecutes me beyond measure? Ah! my Husband, my Friend, what have you done? And what a perfidious man have you given me? Is it peradventure to try my Loyalty and Virtue? tell me, I pray, what is your intention? and whether you keep him in the quality of a Servant or Companion? For my part I esteem it as a great honour to be your Handmaid, and yet I conceive not myself obliged to obey your meanest Servant. He hath been nevertheless so presumptuous in your absence to sport with me, Et audisset vocem meam, reliquit pallium quod tenebam, & fugit foras. Gen. 39 v. 15. His auditis Dominus, & nimiùm credulus verbis conjugis, iratus est valde. Gen. 39 v. 19 Tradiditque Joseph in carcerem. Gen. 39 v. 20. and take the place you hold in my heart. No, I swear by the respect I own you, that I would have strangled him if my strength had been answerable to my will; but he is escaped, and seeing I called for help, he left his garment in my hands. Immediately this man giving too much credit to the discourse of his Wife, without inquiry, whether what she said was true or false, caused Joseph to be stayed, and commanded him to be put in Prison. CHAP. III. The Predictions of Joseph. I Do not wonder if heretofore the waters of Jordan were so respect full towards those Priests who carried the Ark of the Testament, because it was a Figure of the Divinity, the least rays whereof are so powerful in Nature, as its very shadow cannot be seen without a holy horror. It is for this cause Virtue hath so venerable attractives, and so penetrating Charms, that we cannot approach it without feeling ourselves instantly touched with Love and Reverence. The reason is, because God, being as it were obliged to be in a particular manner present, where Virtue is, we must needs be insensible in the presence of him who imprints Sense in all beings, if we were not excited towards Virtue and Sanctity, which resemble those Spirits who encompass the Sanctuary, and those Souls in whom God is delighted. Yes, ●e Paradise of the al. the Soul of a Just man, is the Throne of God, the Theatre of his Power, the List of his Courses, the Field of his Battles, and the Palace in which he maketh his abode. Behold, why the Saints have done so many wonders; and it is for this reason we have seen Tyrant's waxing pale at the sight of Martyrs; Tigers changing their nature; and all the Elements, though insensible, seeming reasonable, to obey them. We must not fear then that any ill will befall those whom God possesseth, whom God conducteth, and in whom he lives as the life of their Souls. Joseph is in Prison, but he shall there speedily find his Liberty, the obscurities of his Dungeon will furnish him with light enough to discern what will happen; and such as have been the authors of his ruin, shall be the Causers of his happiness. God never abandons those who love and serve him faithfully. He is in Shackles, in Misery, Inviolable fidelity. and in all misfortunes which use to assail his Friends; he followed his Joseph even into the Pit, even into Egypt, and he is now with him in Prison. O how sweet is the yoke, when we are fastened to it with God How pleasing are the Chains, when he becomes Captive for our sake! and what Paradise of delights, when a man may say, he hath God in his heart! There was heretofore a Persian, who styled his death, though most rigorous, by the name of Felicity; by reason in dying he perceived one of his Friends, who never forsook him, and used his best endeavours to put himself in his place. Joseph then is most happy, Dominus enim eret cum illo, & omnia opera ejus dirigebat. Gen 29. v. 23. since God himself followed him even into his Dungeon; there is was where this Slave found his Liberty; it is there where he became a Prophet, and began to find the period of his misery, and the beginning of his happiness. Behold I beseech you, Qui tradidit in man● illius universos vincto● qui in custodi● tenebantur, Gen. 3●. v. 22. how he hath already the Keys in his hands, and how all the King's Prisoners are under his guard. Can we represent unto ourselves a more changing fortune? And is it not true that God takes pleasure to raise those whom the world endeavours to cast down? Joseph shall be every where happy, since our Lord is every where with him. Being then in prison, he so exactly performed all that was commanded him, and the purity of his intention spread forth so many graces and beauties on his face, as presently he drew upon himself the eyes and affections of him who had order to govern the Prisoners: The Empire of Virtue. Not that (saith Philo) compassion is natural to those who have the like charge; but God and Virtue cause themselves to be so lively felt by those in whom they reside, as it is almost impossible to behold them without loving them. By reason of the love this Gaoler testified unto Joseph, the rest of the Prisoners drew near him, and believed that by his favour they might become the companions of his happiness, as they had been of his misery. Amongst the rest two of the King's Eunuches, His ita gestis, accidit ut peccarent dao eunuchi, pincerna Regis Agypti, & pistor, domino suo, Iratusque contra co● Pharaoh: nam alter pincernis praecrat, al●er p●st●ibus. Gen. 40. v. 2. Misit eos in carcerem principis militum, in quo erat vinctus Joseph. Gen. 40. v. 3. At custos carceris tradidit eos Joseph, qui & minisirabat eyes. Gen. 40. v. 4. one of which was his Cupbearer, and the other his chief Baker, being fallen into disgrace with Pharaoh, and therefore imprisoned, both of them were under joseph's charge. I leave unto your thoughts what joy it was unto them in their affliction to fall under so mild a government, and under the conduct of a person whose least glance was powerful enough to wipe away all their sorrows. It seemed to them they saw an Angel when Joseph came to visit them; and thus both day and night they comforted all their afflictions, by the hope they had of seeing Joseph, and of being able with assurance to exonerate part of their griess into his bosom. One day amongst others, Ad quos cum introisset Joseph-mane, & vidisset eos tristes, Gen. 40. v. 6. Seicitatus est eos diceas: Cur triflior est hodie solito facies vestra? Gen. 40. v. 7. Qui responderunt: somnium vidimus, & non est qui nobis interpretetur. Gen. 40. v. 8. when Joseph came early in the morning to see them, finding them more sad than ordinary, he entreated them to inform him what ailed them, and what had happened to them; to which they answered, that they had been disquieted all the night by reason of a dream, and that they were extremely sorry to be in such a condition as they could find no body to explicate it to them. Truly, saith Joseph, Dixitque ad eos Joseph: Numquid non Dei interpretatio est? referte mihi quid videritis. Gen. 40. v. 8. Narravit prior, praepositus pincernarum somnium suum: Videbam coram me vitem, Gen. 40. v. 9 In qua erant tres propagines, crescere paulatim 〈◊〉 gemmas, etc. Gen. 40. v. 10. Calicémque Pharaonis in manu mea: tuli ergo uvas, & expressi in calicem quem tenebam, & tradidi poculum Pharaoni. Gen. 40. v. 11. I perceive you are much troubled; well then, God hath sent you a Diviner, do you not believe he can give you the interpretation of it? Tell me then what you have dreamt, For my part, saith the King's Cupbearer, me thought I saw three branches of a Vine covered with large shoots, from whence, like so many Pearls issued a thousand small blossoms, after which I saw the great Grapes fully ripe, which I gathered and squeezed them into Pharaohs Cup when he was ready to drink. Behold, saith Joseph, Respondit Joseph, Haec cit interpretatio somnii: Tres propagines, tres adhuc dies sunt. Gen. 40. v. 12. Post quos recordabitur Pharao ministerii tui, etc. Gen. 40 v. 13. Tantum memento mei, etc. Gen. 40. v. 14. the interpretation of this Dream. The three branches of the Vine denote unto thee three days, after which the King will call to mind the good services thou hast done him, and thou mayest resume the place thou hadst in his house. I conjure thee only to have me in remembrance, and when thou shalt be in favour, take pity on a man who is not culpable, but for having been too innocent. My name is Joseph, I I have been carried away out of Judea by the treachery of my Brethren, Quia surto sublatus sum de ter â Hebraeorum. Gen. 40.15. who at last sold me unto certain Merchants of this Country. Speak then I prithee in my behalf unto Pharaoh; And in exchange of the liberty whereof I assure thee, obtain the same favour for me. Videns pistorum magister quòd prudenter somnium dissolvisset, aet, etc. Gen. 40. v. 16 Et in uno canistro qund crat excelsius, corta e●●c omnes cibos qui fiunt arte pistoris, averque comedere ex co. Gen. 40. v. 17. The other hearing this, hoping for as good, or a better fortune than that of his Companion, began to relate unto Joseph all he had seen in his sleep. I imagined, said he, that I had three Baskets on my head, and that in the uppermost there were all sorts of meats which could be made into Paste, and upon that Basket I saw certain birds which there rested to feed. Alas! my dear friend saith Joseph, Respondit Josiph: haec est interpretatio somnii, etc. Gen. 40. v. 18. Post quos auseret Pharao caput tuum, ac suspendet te in cruse, & lacerabunt volucres carnes tuas. Gen. 40. v. 19 these are dreadful presages. It grieves me, that I was chosen to bring thee such sad news; I could wish that thou hadst never had this Dream, or that it had been more happy: but since thou desirest to know the truth from my mouth, I cannot not conceal from thee, that within three days, which are signified by the three Baskets, Pharaoh will put thee to death, and thy body shall be hanged on a Gibbet, where thou shalt serve as a prey unto the Fowls of the Ayr. Exinde dies tertius natalitius Pharaonis erat, etc. Gen 40. v. 20 Restituitque alterum in locum suum, ut porrigeret ei poculum. Gen. 40. v. 21. Alterum suspendit in patibulo, ut conjectoris veritas probaretur. Gen. 40.22. In effect the third day which followed, being that on which they used to celebrate the Feast of Pharaohs birthday, this Prince in the midst of the Banquet calling to mind his Officers whom he had imprisoned, commanded his Cupbearer to come before him, and established him in his former Office, and gave order at the same time, that the other should be hanged, as Joseph had foretold. CHAP. IU. The Releasement of Joseph. Post duos annos vidit Pharao somnium, putabat se stare super fluvium. Gen. 41. v. 1. De quo ascendebant septem boves, pulchrae & crassae nimis: & pascebantur in locis palustribus. Gen. 41. v. 2 Aliae quoque septem emergebant de flumine. foedae confertaeque macie: & pascebantur in ipsa amnis ripa, in locis virentibus. Gen 41. v. 3. Devoraveruntque eas, quarum mira species & habitudo corporum erat. Gen. 41. v. 4. Ruesum dormivit, & vidit alterum somnium: septem spicae pullalabant in culmo uno plenae atque formosae. Gen. 41. v. 5. Aliae quoque totidem spitae tenues, & percussae veredine oriebantur. Gen. 41. v. 6. Divi ants omnem patorem pul●●itudinem. Gen. 41.7. JOseph having spent two years in Prison, it chanced that Pharaoh during a Dream, imagined he was on the bank of a great River, out of which issued seven goodly and fat Kine, which were going to feed in the Marshes. Presently after, he thought he saw seven other Ugly and lean Kine, which coming out of the water passed along the Banks, and fed in the Meadows. But that grass could not satisfy their hunger, for they devoured the first seven, and what seemed more strange, after they had filled their bellies, to see them, one would have believed that they had swallowed down nothing but wind, so hungry they appeared. Pharaoh awaking thereupon, and the mystery having appeared to him but in part; Providence which would manifest itself to him entire, shown him in a second sleep seven fair Ears Loaden with Corn, which grew upon the selfsame stalk. This Dream would have been pleasing, if he had not afterwards, seen seven other Ears shrivelled, and dried up by the ardours of the Sun, and which spread themselves in an instant to swallow up the first seven Ears which had appeared to him. Pharaoh affrighted at these Dreams, Et sacto pavore perterritus, misit ad omnes consectores Aegypti, cunctosque sapien e●, Nec erat qui interpretaretur. Gen 41. v. 8. was no sooner awaked, but instantly opening his eyes, and seeing him-himself deceived, commanded all the Soothsayers and Wisemen of Egypt to come before him, that he might know from them the Explanation of these Enigmas which a hand more than humane had framed in his mind. But as the wisdom of man is blind, if God doth not impart to him some rays of his light, there was not any one that could unfold these Shadows God had cast in the thoughts of this poor King. This was the cause why the Cupbearer calling to mind joseph's request, Tune demùm reminiscens pincernarum magister, ait: Confiteor peccatum meum. Gen. 41. v. 9 and the favour he had received from this young Prophet, was constrained freely to acknowledge his own unworthiness, and ingratitude, which are the ordinary Vices of Courts, and of all that are favoured by Fortune. Blindness of Fortune. Friendships which often are born in Prisons, die on Thrones. We are no sooner raised on the top of the Wheel, but we lose the sight of those who are beneath. Honour's have veils over their Eyes, as well as affections. We have never pity on those we see not, and the very thought of them we chase away as unseasonable. Sopater Athe. A wise Politician had heretofore reason to say, that Grandeurs and Felicities made daily dumb and blind men: and for my part, I say, that miseries and necessities are wont to open the Eyes and Ears. This Eunuch had no care or thought on Joseph so long as he had no need of him, but assoon as the Interest of the King, upon whom his happiness depended, began to break forth, it was requisite for him to use such means as might secure his Fortune, and publish the favours he had received of Joseph. I remember, saith he to Pharaoh, Iratus Rex servis suis, me & magistrum pistorum, retrudi jussit in ●arcerem principis militum. Gen. 41. v. 10. that during my disgrace, when your Majesty commanded me to prison, I was extremely troubled by reason of a Dream, but by good chance I met with a Slave who foretold me all that should happen unto me. Vbi una nocte uterque vidimus somnium praesagum suturorum. Gen. 41. v. 11. Erat ibi pu●● Hebraeus, cat narrantes somnia, Gen. 41. v. 12. Audivimus quod postea rei probavit eventus: Ego enim redaitus sum officio meo, & ille suspensus est in crucc. Gen. 41. v. 13. Protinus ad Regis imperium eductum de carcere Joseph totonderunt, ac veste mutatá obtuterunt ●i. Gen. 41. v. 14. ●●atontet. And more; for the person whom I had then for a Companion in my misfortune, having the same time a Dream, and being as much disquieted thereby as myself, he heard from the mouth of the same Interpreter, the explication of these Presages, and time taught us the truth by very different events; for three days after he was hanged, and your goodness called me again into favour, as it had been foretold me. The King hearing this, presently commanded that Joseph should be brought before him. They set him then at Liberty; they combed his hair, they changed his apparel, and led him to Pharaoh, who instantly discerned in his face the disposition of his mind: So true it is, that the Soul hath secret Clarities, lively and Luminous Shadows, which, as Philosophers teach, and experience daily informs us, use to escape through the Eyes, mouth, and all the pores of the body, with certain splendours which Nature receives from God. It was from their first inclinations, Cui ille ait: Vidi somma, nec est qui ●dissera●: quae audivi te sapientissimè con●●icerc. Gen. 41. v. 15. Pharaoh drew a most certain assurance that Joseph was able to satisfy him; He most infallibly believed that this young man could teach him that which all the old men of Egypt, and the Sages of the world were not able to do. In effect, having related all that he had seen, and the confused lights having united themselves amidst the obscurities of his sleep, and of the Night, to disturb him, and to frame of those species a strange Picture: Respondit Joseph: Absque me Deus respondelit prospera Pharamti. Goe 41. v. 15. Respondit J●seph: So●mium Regis unum est: quae ●acturus est Dens, osiendit Pharaoni. Gen. 41. v. 25. Septem boves pulch●ae, & septem spicae plenae, septem ubertatis anni sunt. Gen. 41. v. 26. Joseph had no sooner heard him, but taking occasion to speak, he said to him, that all his Ideas and Visions made up but one Dream; and besides, that it was God alone who had taken the Pencil into his hand to shape in his mind the Figure of the blessings and disasters which were to happen in his Empire. Yes Sir, saith he, the seven Kine which appeared to you so fair, and in so good plight, as well as the seven Ears loaden with Corn, Prognosticate no other thing than seven fruitful years; Septem quoque boves tenues atque macilentae, quae ascenderunt post eas, & septem spicae tenues, & vento urente percussae, septem anni venturae sunt famis, Gen. 41. v. 27. But those also which appeared to you lean and deformed, as well as the Ears you saw so small and withered by the blasting of the wind, figure to you seven years of Extreme Famine. Now the course thereof will be such, Quae hoc ordine complebuntur. Gen. 41. v. 28. Ecce septem anni venient fertilitatis magnae, etc. Gen. 41. v. 29. behold seven years approaching, during which all Egypt shall have plenty of all sorts of Blessings. Afterwards for seven other years we shall remain in a general Scarcity which will devast this whole Country. Quos sequuntur septem anni alii tantae steri●itatis, etc. Gen. 41. v. 30. It concerns then your Majesty to be watchful, Nunc ergo provideat rex virum sapientem & industrium, & praeficiat eum terra Aegipti. Gen. 41. v. 33. Qui constituat praepositos per cunctas regiones, & quintam partem fructuum per septem annos sertilitatis. Gen. 41. v. 34. Qui jam nunc futuri sunt, congreget in horrea; & omne frumentum sub Phara●nis potestate condatur, serveturque in urbibus. Gen. 41. v. 35. and to make choice of a wise and discreet man who may have a general care and government over the Land of Egypt, that he may establish Purveyors, and cause the fift part of those Fruits which are to be gathered during the seven years of plenty, to be laid up in Granaries. He must also take care that all the Corn be kept in such Towns as shall be appointed for that purpose; and besides, that no person may either take or dispose of it without your express Command. It is also the duty of all Princes, and of those who are powerful in the world to provide for the necessities of the poor. Their Eyes ought to be like the rays of the Sun, which do not open and spread themselves, but for the good of the Universe. Their arms ought to resemble those of the Sea, and Rivers, which nourish and water the grounds through which they pass. It belongs then unto them to watch, like Angels, to divert dangers by a wise Providence, and to be not only full of Splendour and Majesty; But also Fathers replenished with Meekness, Clemency and goodness. CHAP. V The Government of Joseph in Egypt. IT is not without reason, Fortune hath Wings at her Feet, and that she is always flying on a little Globe, where Life and Death, Places and Seasons, and in a word, all the accidents of Nature hinder her from taking any rest. I know not who hath placed a veil over her Eyes lest we should perceive her too volatile and too haggard looks. Picture of Fortune. Her Hair is so plated and drawn down upon her forehead, as to behold her, we would believe the hinder part of her Head were bald, like that of Time. Her Garment is of changeable Taffeta, her Girdle is marked with certain small cyphers so confusedly put together, as nothing can be understood by them. This corresponds with her words and gestures, which are full of mysteries and ambiguity. In fine, all that she hath, all that she doth, and all that she saith, is no other than a Chaos of Inconstancy and Disloyalty: whence it comes to pass that all her attendants lament, and accuse that destiny, which hath so miserably deceived them, and which after many thousand promises, and gifts, hath left them nothing but Wind, Tears, Smoak, Despair, and after all a precipice or an Abyss of misfortunes. Behold the destinies of this World, and the Fortunes of Men! on which nevertheless they are accustomed to fix their hopes. We are delighted with this Game, in saeculari ludo, nunc huc transeunt, nunc referuntur illuc. Pius Pontifex. Ep. 4.34. Res humanae naturalem habent scalae imaginem. Philo. Jud. lib. de somniis. in which, as a certain Pope hath observed, there is nothing but hazard; We desire to ascend the top of this Ladder, from which we must always descend, saith Philo, after we have ascended; There are some who think themselves happy to appear on this Theatre, though their end for the most part will be Tragical; It seems that it satisfies many persons, to have a propitious Gale when they depart out of the Haven, Apud Erasm. Stob. ser. de prud. though soon after they suffer a sorrowful Shipwreck. These nevertheless, are the Sports, Exercises, Acts, Courses, and Navigations of Fortune and Destiny, which Men strive to establish in humane things. We gain thereby to lose, we rise up to fall, we appear to perish, we embark ourselves to split on a Rock. On the contrary, in the Designs God hath on Men, all is Constant and fixed, his Scales are even, his looks loving, his cyphers eternal, and there is nothing in his amiable providences, either deceitful or hazardous; The happiness of Providence. And if they sport with us it is to enrich us; when they cast us down it is to raise us up; His theatres have no funestous Acts, and it sufficeth that his Providence guides us into the Haven. This being so, what sweetness? what assurance? and what happiness to follow this Light? It matters not to meet with Labyrinths, Precipices, Sepulchers, and Rocks, soon or late we shallbe freed from them. Well may Joseph have been betrayed, he may have been thrown into the bottom of a Pit, he may have been divested, & sold as a slave, I mean that he was kept in Prison for the space of two years; If our Lord be with him, and if the Providence of God be his Mistress, he is happy, and shall come forth like a Planet, which Issueth more Glorious and with more Lustre, out of the midst of Darkness, and the Eclipses which had obscured it. The Wisdom of the World, which in the sight of God is but mere folly, would never yet have believed it, and truly who would have imagined, that Joseph should have found Lights in the Darkness of a Prison, which were to guide him even to the Throne of Pharaoh. He is yet there, and this King doth not believe that there is any person in the World more capable of being his Lieutenant, and who could more wisely, and with more dexterity govern the Kingdom of Egypt, than Joseph. It was then decreed by a secret inspiration of this sage Intelligence, which presides in Counsels, Dixit ergo ad Joseph: quia ostendit tibi Deut omnia quae locutus es, numquid sapientiorem, & consimilem tui invenire potero. Gen. 41. v. 39 Tu eris super domum meam, & ad tui oris imperium cunctus populus obediet: uno tantum regni solio te praecedam. Gen. 41. v. 40. Dixitq●e rursus Pharao ad Joseph: Ecce constituite super universam terram Agypti. Gen. 41. v. 41. and Governs Empires, that Joseph of a Prisoner and slave should be made the Vice-King of Egypt. First Pharaoh was transported at the sight of this Young Prophet, and quickly discerned that it was God who spoke by his Mouth. Secondly he resolved to follow all the orders which Joseph had affirmed to be necessary for the good of the State. Afterwards, addressing himself unto Joseph with paternal tenderness he said unto him. Joseph, I will seek no further for a Man to share with me in the cares of my Empire. Heaven hath ordained you for it, and I cannot oppose it. The assurance I have that this election is very good and prudent, is the goodness and wisdom I know in you; take then the absolute power over my whole House, Govern my Empire, and make use of my Authority. Then Pharaoh took a Ring from his own Finger, Tulitque annulum de manu sua, & dedit eum in manuejus, vestivitque eum stola byssina, & collo torquem auream circumposuit. Gen. 41. v. 42. and put it on joseph's, Commanding immediately that he should be Clothed in a Silken Garment, and that a Chain of Gold should be brought him, which he with his own Hand put about his Neck. Behold, the first Favours of Pharaoh, and the first Splendours of the Divine Providence, which at last dissipate the Cloud and Darkness in which Joseph was enclosed; his Chains are those rich Collars given by the King, his Manacles are his Rings, and a Robe of fine Linen in an instant wipes away all the disasters of his former Life. But this is not yet all; he must be known, and Egypt must take notice that he is the Governor of it. Joseph ascend this Triumphant Chariot which is prepared for you; Et praepositum esse scirent universae terrae Egypti, Gen. 41. v. 43. Fecitque eum ascendere super currum suum. Gen. 41. v. 43. It is Pharaoh who commands it, It is Heaven that ordains it, It is God that guides you; Kings are Gods Echoes, God speaks by their Mouths, and whoever disobeys Kings is refractory to his Divine commands; Joseph then acteth what God enjoins, and it is God who is ready to be his guide through all the Lands of Pharaoh. He is led already through the Streets with pomp and triumph worthy of a King. Clamante praecome ut omnes coram eo genuflecterent. The Herald who marcheth before him, tries, out with a loud voice, let every one bow their Knees. Pharaoh in the presence of the people consecrates these honours by his approbation; Vertique nomen ejus, & vocavit eum linguâ Egyptiaca, Salvatorem mundi. Gen. 41. v. 45. Afterwards he confirms unto Joseph the general power he gave him over all Egypt: to which he added a more magnificent and glorious name than he had before, for instead of Joseph he gave him the name of the Saviour of Egypt, as a title which could not be due but unto God or to a King. In fine, Deditque illi uxorem Aseneth, filiam Putipharis Sacerdotu Heliop●leos. Gen. 41. v. 45. V Borcard. de terrae sancta. S. Hieron, & Heb. to fasten Joseph more strongly to himself and Egypt, besides the Egyptian name Pharaoh imposed on him, he resolved to Marry him unto Aseneth the Daughter of Putiphar high Priest and Prince of Heliopolis, that is to say, the City of the Sun, which was in Egypt. Joseph then was but thirty years old, and it was in this flower of his age, Triginta autem annorumerat, quando stetit in conspectu Regis Pharaonis, & circuivit omnem regionem Aegypti. Gen. 41. v. 46. in which the Body and Soul use to be most vigorous, he began to visit the territories of his Government. This new born Morning went immediately every where casting rays of Joy, Hope, Peace, Plenty and Charity: It was a golden Age which began to appear, Tantaque suit abundantia tritici, ut arenae maris coaequaretur, & copia mensuram excederat. Gen. 41. v. 49. and followed his steps. Never were seen so many blessings on the Earth as then; for the grains of Wheat, gathered in the space of seven years, were more in number than the Sands which are seen on the shores of the Sea. Six years were already past in these public felicities, when Joseph had two Children, Nati sunt antem Joseph filii du●. Gen. 41. v. 50. Vocavitque nomen primogeniti Manasfes, etc. the Eldest was called Manasses to testify the grace's God had poured upon Joseph, who after so many troubles and afflictions had at length forgotten his Father's House, and all the pains he had endured from the very hour he departed thence. The second was called Ephraim, Nomen quoque secundi appellavit Ephraim, etc. Gen. 41. v. 52 in acknowledgement of the Blessings Joseph had received from God after so many abandonments of Creatures, and after so many miseries and incommodities, out of which he was at last delivered. Igitur transactis septem ubertatis annis qui suerunt in Aegypto, Gen. 41. v. 53. Coeperunt ventre septem anni in●piae, etc. Gen, 41. v. 54 Qua esuriente, clamavit ad Pharaonem, etc. Gen. 41. v. 55. The term of seven years' beginning then to approach, the Earth which had been employed in general and continual productions, had no sooner seen this moment in which she was constrained to shut up her bosom, but she presently became barren, so that in a short time after, Egypt which had not foreseen this evil, was enforced to cry out Famine, and to have recourse unto Pharaoh. But Pharaoh for his part sent the people to Joseph, who during the time of his prosperity had done like Bees, and those Birds endued with foresight, which during the Summer store up food for the Winter. Behold a Draught of the World, The Image of the world. in which the blind Men and Sages of Egypt have no eyes, but for the time present. They swim in Rivers of Gold and Silver, they sail in Barks of Pearls, their Oars are the arms and wings of Fortune, Favour is their Mast, all their Cordages are of Silk, and their sails of rich Satin which have always the wind in Poop: But notwithstanding this stately Pomp, and this favourable Lot, they will perish with hunger, if their Navigation be long, and if good provision be not made by the Pilot that conducts them. Suppose men walk upon Roses, suppose their drink be Nectar, suppose all the Stars be propitious, and that the Harvest be never so fair; yet had not some foreseeing Spirit taken the Sickle in hand, had he not gathered up these goods, and had he not Vessels to receive this dew, the Air would dry up its sources, night would come, and the fields would be but like a desert, where men must even die with hunger, thirst, and misery. But some would peradventure ask what expedient can be found to avert all these dangers? First it is certain that God for his part will never fail to provide all necessaries, and having created Man, he is as it were obliged to his conservation. Secondly, the Planets have their regular courses, and maugre all their Defections, Ascendants, Retrogradations, Conjunctions, Separations, and Elevations, they are always constant in working our good, and their nature is too pure to be covetous of those Treasures which are hid in their Influences. Thirdly the Fire, the Water, the Air, and the Earth have no enmity amongst themselves, but for our sakes, and if they be at War, it is but to bring us Sweetness and Peace. I demand then again, whence can proceed those evils which befall men, and which are born even in their Cradles, to die with them. Our Evils come from ourselves. I fear that the Lieutenants of Egypt did not often imitate Joseph, and that they slept during the calm, and when Fortune smiled upon them on every side. Nevertheless this fair weather doth not always last, the season of Harvest passeth away, the Tempest riseth, and we meet with Shipwreck and Death. CHAP. VI The Voyage of jacob's Children into Egypt, and the entertainment they there received from Joseph. Innocence's hath voices which are heard in Deserts, which speak in Assemblies, which groan in Prisons, which murmur near the holy Altars, and even complain under the Throne of God. Truth, although hidden under Abysses, covered with the shades of a Tomb, and buried in the obscurities of night, hath rays which escape through Rocks, pass under Marble stones, and which cleave all the Clouds to break forth like lightning, and enkindle fires upon the ashes and bones which were thought insensible and uncapable of complaints for obtaining revenge. Woe to that Man, saith the most wise Jesus the son of Sirach, Omnis bomo qui transgreditur lectum suum dicit in cord suo quis me videt? tenebrae circumdant me, & nemo me videt, quid vereor? Eccles. 23. who not being Satisfied with his own bed, saith in his Heart, who is it that sees me? Night and darkness environ me on all sides, walls like so many Dungeons shelter me from those troublesome and Dangerous eyes which might be witnesses of my actions, what can I then fear? Ah! blind that thou art, thou seest not the Sun which over these shadows marks out thy sentence of condemnation. Thou seest not the Moon and stars which are the Eyes of Heaven, Nocte quidem sed Luna videt, sed sydera testes, Intendunt oculos. and the torches which God makes use of to manifest his will. Poor man, thou art deaf if thou dost not hear it, and if amidst the sighs of thy conscience thou believest thatno body speaks unto thee, but soon or late thou shalt confess that innocence and truth are too dear unto God, and that one cannot offend them, without Heavens arming itself in their defence. Nevertheless they are patiented enough to suffer them for a time: But they are too generous to be always silent; and it would be too cruel an indulgence, and too pernicious unto Virtue if they might dissemble for an Eternity. God and kings have arms which extend themselves to all places, and if the world be a great Chain, as Trismegistus heretofore believed, it is to keep men enchained, and to the end they may rest assured that in all times and every where an officer follows them, Conscience an inseparable guardian. and holds them fast by the Eyes, by the Hand, and by all the powers of their Souls. The profane were of this opinion, saying, That all men, and universally all Creatures moved in a great Labyrinth, in which the Gods delighted to hold them by a silken thread, as heretofore Ariadne did, when in her Maze she guided her dear Theseus, or rather like birdcatchers who tie a thread to the foot of some bird, that giving him Liberty, they may stay him when they please. So God hath invisible bands, which men cannot break and if they be Criminal, vengeance which is inexorable will soon or late inflict on them the punishment they have merited. Stay then guilty Brethren, come and cast yourselves at the Feet of this slave you have Sold. Come and demand life of him whom you had designed for death. Come and see on a Throne this Dreamer whove you threw into a Pit. The Whale hath cast this Prophet into the harbour. This Angel is come safe and sound out of the furnace. His prison is the Empire of Egypt, his chains are the golden Ornaments of the King, the whole world adores him, and from henceforth he is going to be the Father, Lord, and Judge of those who have been his Tyrants, persecutors and executioners. Three and Twenty years are passed since Jofeph left his Father's House, and since his brethren exercised on him all sorts of Hostility. These Monsters Notwithstanding covered themselves with the Robe of this Lamb, and they hitherto passed for innocents', but God, who pursues the culpable, and Justice which is less Separable from Evil than shadows are from bodies, made them come a foot from their Country to th'end they might be punished by his hand, who served for a Subject to their rage and cruelty. Audicus autem Jacob, quod alimenta venderentur in Aegipto, dixit filijs suis: qutre negligitis. Gen. 42. v. 1. Audivi quod triticum venundetur in Aegipto etc. Gen. 42. v. 2. Benjamin domi retento a Jacob, qui dixer at fratribus ejus ●ne fortè in ●tnere quidquam patiatur mali. Gen. 42. v. 4. Ingressi sunt terram Aegipti cum aliis, etc. Gen. 42. v. 5. It was at that time when Famine devasted the whole world, Jacob having heard that corn was sold in Egypt resolved to send thither all his Children except Benjamin, to the end they might buy such provisions as were Necessary to maintain their Family. Go my Children, said he, and leave only Benjamin with me, lest the same accident befall him as happened to my poor Joseph. Ten then of jacob's Children went down into Egypt, with divers other persons who traveled with them upon the same design. Joseph was absolute Lord in that Country, Et Joseph erat princeps in terra Aegipti, arque ad ejus scumenta pupulis vendebantur, cumque adorassent eum fratres sui Gen. 42. v. 6. and without his orders no body durst either sell or distribute any corn. Which was the occasion his Brothers, to obtain his leave, were constrained to visit him, and render him duties as to their sovereign. But what! these poor wretches knew not him whom they saw over their heads, and whom they would have trodden under their feet. Yet this Sun appeared too Luminous to cover only the body of a slave, and all humane reasons were too weak to persuade them that it was Joseph. It is he Nevertheless, Et agnovisset eos quasi ad alienos durius, toquebatur, interrogans, eos unde venistis. Gen. 42. v. 7. Et ait ad eos: exploratores estis, ut vidiatis infirmiora terrae venistis. Gen. 42. v. 9 Omnes silij unius viri sumus: pacifici vivimus, nec quidquam samuli tui machinantur moli. Gen. 42. v 11. Quibus ille re●pondit, aliter est, in munita terrae huyus consider are venistis. Gen. 42. v. 12 At illi: duodecim inquiunt fratres sumus servo tuo, etc. Gen. 42. v. 13. who presently knowing them, began to treat them as strangers, saying to them they were Spies, and that their whole design was to Inform themselves concerning the weakest parts of the Country: God knows whether they were astonished, hearing this discourse; but nothing availed them to say that they all were Ten brothers, and the Children of Jacob, and that for the rest they sought nothing but peace and the honour to live and die in the quality of his most humble servants. No: No, said Joseph you are deceivers, and besides your coming down into this Country was to no other purpose then to Spy out those places and parts by which Egypt might be the more easily assaulted and surprised. To this they could not answer the second time, but that they were twelve Brothers his servants, Children of the same Father who retained but one with him, and that the other died three and Twenty years before. Did I not say well, Ho est ait: quod lacutus sum exploratores estis. Gen. 42. v. 13 Jam nunc experimentum vestri capiam, per salutem Pharaonis non egrediemini hinc donec veniat frater vester minimus. Gen. 42. v. 16. Vos autem eritis in vinculis donec probentura quae dixistis. Gen. 42. v. 16. replied Joseph, that you were all Spies? I shall have immediately certain proofs thereof; for I swear by the life of Ph●ro, that you shall not departed hence till the arrival of the youngest of your Brethren. Send then speedily some one of you to bring him; Mean while you shallbe bound and Fettered until I shall have some assurance touching what you have said unto me. Behold them with Irons on their feet, Chains on their hands & officers leading them to prison. This is the place where the justice of God hath long since expected them; there shall they see the Ghost of his innecent body pursuing Them, then shall they hear the Ecche of that voice which called them in the Fields, and cried out to them from the bottom of the pit. Alas! Tradidit ergo illos custodiae tribus diebus Gen. 42. v. 17. Where are my Brethren, and how have they used me? At least they will have the Leisure for the Space of three days to recall into their minds the dreadful design they heretofore had to kill their own Brother; They will find the Image of the pit in the obscurity of a Dungeon; In fine, they can expect nothing but death, or at least a perpetual Captivity, when they shall remember they sold their own blood. The third day Nevertheless Joseph Commanded their release out of prison, Die autem tertio eductis de carcere ait: sacite quae dixi, & vinetis: Deum enim timeo. Gen. 42. v. 18. Frater vester ligetur unus in carcere, etc. Gen. 42. v. 19 Et fratrem vestrum minimum ad me adducite. Gen. 42. v. 20. and promised to grant them their lives if they would perform what he had said unto them. Yes, said he I swear by the great God whom I dread, that you shall not die if you obey me; and if you show a desire to love the peace which I seek. It is sufficient than that one of you be kept in prison, the rest may carry into their Country what they have bought; upon condition that they will speedily bring hither the youngest of all who remains behind as you have said. At this demand these poor wretches sighed bitterly and then looking upon one another they began to say with a lamentable voice. In truth all these misfortuns have justly befallen us; Et locuti sunt ad invicem: merito haec patemur, quiae peccavimus in fratrem nostrum, etc. Gen. 42. v. 21. God is just, and doubtless it is the blood of Joseph which riseth up against us, and earnestly calls upon the rigours of his adorable vengeance. We must then acknowledge ourselves too insensible, and too unnatural towards him, his tears, his sighs, and the Innocence of his age ought to have mollified us, if we had not had pitiless hearts, and Souls harder than Marble. Ah God, what have we done! From whence at one time arrive to us so many Miseries. During this discourse Joseph seemed not to hear them: Nesciebant autem quod intelligeret Joseph: ex eo quid per interpretem loqueretur ad eos. Gen. 42. v. 23. Avertitque se parumper & flevit. Gen. 42. v. 24. For he only spoke to them by the mouth of an Interpreter. But his eyes had much ado to dissemble the resentments of his heart. He was even constrained to turn aside his head to shed some tears, which without doubt were ready to betray him. But God who would have him pass for the Judge of his brethren did not permit that clemency should induce him to do any thing unworthy of the office he exercised. And truly when Judges are seated on their Throns', they ought to know neither Parents nor Friends. It is for this respect Justice ought to wear a vail over her Eyes, lest nature, and interests of Blood and affection should dazzle her. This Canopy which is spread over her bed is of Skie-colour and sodered with Stars, by reason she took her birth in the Heavens, and to the end she should act nothing, but by the favour of these most pure lights. Joseph then must execute what he had begun, if God hath ordained him to be the Judge of his Brethren; and if they be culpable, he ought not to consider them as Brethren, but as criminals, This he doth, Tollensque Simeon & bigans illis praesentibus. Gen. 42. v. 23. and without making himself known but in quality of the Vice-King of Egypt, he stayed Simeon, and Manacled his hands in the presence of the rest. Afterwards as they were ready to departed, Jussit ministris, ut implerent corum saccos tritico & reponerent pecunias singulorum insaceulis suis datis supra cibrariis in vi●n. Gen. 42. v. 25. he secretly commanded his servants speedily to fill all their sacks with Corn, and in the Mouth of them to leave the Money they had brought, and also what they might need for the expense of their journey. This was done without their heeding it; For their minds as well as their eyes were busied on Simeon, to whom from time to time they addressed some sighs in testimony of the regret they had to leave him alone in prison, and for an hostage. At last they departed, and having laid the Corn they had bought, upon Asses, At illi portantes frumenta in asinis suis, prosecti sunt. Gen. 42. v. 26. Apertoque unus sacco, ut daret jumento pabulum in diversorio, contemplatus pecumam in ore sacculi, Gen. 42. v. 27. Dixic fratribus suis: Reddita est mibi picunia, en habetur in sacco. Gen. 42. v 28. Et obstupifacts, turbatique mutuò dixerunt, etc. Gen. 42. v. 28. Venerontque ad Jacob patrem suum in terram Chanaan, etc. Gen. 42 v. 29. Locutus est nobis Dominus terrae dure, etc. Gen. 42. v. 30. His aictus oùm frumenta effunderent, singult reperierunt in ore saccorum, ligatas pecunias: exterritisque simut omnibus dixit pater Jacob: Absque lioeru me esse fecistis, Joseph non est super, Simeon tenetur in vinculis, & Benjamin auferetis, in me haec omnia mala r●●ederunt. they presently began their journey, but scarce were they arrived at their first night's lodging, when one of them having opened his Sack, found there his Money: he called his Brethren, and told them what had happened to him; whereupon being all astonished, they said to one another, Alas! what design hath God on us, and whence arrive to us all these adventures? From thence holding on their journey, they went directly unto Chanaan to find Jacob, to whom they related what had passed, and how they had been harshly received by the Governor of Egypt, who notwithstanding all the assurances they had given him of their designs and innocence, had taken them for Spies; but at last he permitted them to return, and likewise to carry with them the provision they had bought, upon condition nevertheless speedily to bring unto him the youngest amongst them, who as they said was left alone at home to Solace the discommodities and old age of their Father. Doing this, he promised them that Simeon should be released, and that they should have liberty to continue their traffic and commerce in Egypt. Upon this they opened their Sacks, where having found all their Money, they remained very much astonished, but chief Jacob was as much or more surprised than his Children; Whereupon he could not contain himself from saying to them; Ah poor wretches that you are! you have reduced me into such an estate as I am now left without a Child. Joseph is no more, and if what you say be true. Simeon is detained in prison, not content with this, you will also take my Benjamin from me. O God, what calamities all at once! ●las! on what side shall I turn me, and where may I find some consolation? Joseph is no more, Simeon is a Captive, and you will carry away my Benjamin, who is the support of my life, and the delight of my heart. Poor Father that I am; whither shall I go? Famine besiegeth me, my Children betray me, the Powers of the world combine against me, old Age oppresseth me, and death pursues me. Cui respondit Reuben: Duos filtos meos interfice, si non reduxero illum tibi: Trade illum in manu mea, & ego cum tibi restituam. Gen. 42. v. 37. At ille, non descendet, inquit, filius meus vobiscum: frater ejus mortuus est, & ipse solus remansit. Si quid ei adversi acciderit in terra, ad quam pergit●s, deducetis canos meos cum doloread inferos. Gen. 42. v. 38. Jacob whither wilt thou go? Father, saith Reuben, do not afflict yourself. For my part I have but two Children, I leave them with you in Benjamins' place, and if I bring him not back put them to death. No (saith Jacob) I will never consent that Benjamin shall go with you: for already his brother is dead, and if by accidents some mishap befall this poor Child which is left me; I might even die for grief, and my ashes would for ever complain of you. Behold the Picture of man's life in this world, drawn to the life in the person of Jacob. His birth was in the midst of Combats, his youth hath been a Duel with his own Brothers; Scarce had he attained the age of a Man, when God himself was pleased to assault him. Afterwards his Children proved the strongest enemies of his old Age, and he saw executioners in his own Family. Alas! what will he do? O God, will you have Benjamin also? will you commind Jacob to immolate this Victim? and must he go into Egypt, and leave his Father who lives only by him. O world, how disloyal art thou? Fathers and Mothers, what Children have you, and where do you place all your hopes? all these Eldest Sons whom you breed up so deliciously will deceive you. This Joseph whom you Idolatrise, will prove a torment to you, and even in despite of you, this so beautiful, Perfidiousness of the world. so sweet, so amiable, and so accomplished Benjamin must leave you first or last to go amongst the Egyptians. But what? must Jacob also resolve to leave Benjamin? how will you have him live, if his heart be taken from him; And is not the removing him from a person who placed on him all his hopes, and the support of his Life a condemnation unto Death. CHAP. VII. Jacob resolves to send Benjamin into Egypt. IN the world there are inexorable Caves, and fatal necessities which can hardly be avoided: We must often swim over the arms of the Sea, not to perish in the midst of the Ocean; Fatal necessities. and some there are who resolve rather to die stifled with smoke, than to fall into a flaming fire. Nothing is to be preferred before life next unto God and Honour, and we usually give what we have to preserve it. It is for this reason, with our hands we keep off the Darts which are thrown at our hearts, and there is no part of the body which serves not for a Buckler when life is to be saved. In fine, the fear of Death is a blind passion which knows neither Friends nor Children. Jacob then must suffer his Benjamin to departed: but it is not without much grief, and without fight many battles with a Love so Cordial, and an affection a Father ought to have for a Child so worthy to be beloved. He must die then of Famine, or Benjamin must departed: But it is not enough that the rest return, and this dear Child remain with his Father. No, Dixit Jacob ad filios suos: Revertimins, & emitte nobis pauxillum escarum. Gen. 43. v. 2. Consumptisque cibis quos ex Aegipto detulerant. Gen. 43. v. 2. Respondit Judas: Denunciavit nobis vir ille attestatione dicens, etc. Gen. 43. v. 3. Si ergo vis eum mittere nobiscum, pergemus pariter, & ememus tibi necessaria. Gen. 43. v. 4. go then my Children, saith Jacob, return into Egypt to buy us something for our sustenance, for nothing is left of all that you brought us. Father, replied Judas, you know that we told you, that the Governor of Egypt hath forbidden us to return into his presence, if we do not bring him our little Brother. If you will permit him then to go thither, we will all accompany him, and buy all things necessary. We are engaged by promise and oath to bring him, or never more to come into Egypt. What promise, and what engagement (Answers Jacob) you have then Conspired to undo me, Dixit eyes Israel: in meam hoc fecistis miseriam. Gen. 43. v. 6. indicaretis ci & alium vos habere fratrem. Gen. 43. v. 6. and to heap afflictions on me. O Children void of compassion: Alas! what have you done? why did you say that you had yet a Brother? doth it not satisfy you to have lost Joseph, and left Simeon a Captive? Must Benjamin leave me, and must I remain a Father without Children? What death, what punishment to see myself torn in pieces, and by parcels. What Martyrdom, to give up first his hands, afterwards his arms, than his Eyes, and at last his life! Alas! what have you done? and who hath enforced you to say that I had yet a Child? Whither shall I go, when I have him no more? with whom shall I entertain myself when he shall be absent? and who will have care of me when he is departed? At illi responderunt Interrogavit nos homo per ordinem nostram progeniom: si pater viveret, etc. Gen. 43. v. 7. Adducine fratrem vestrum vobiscum. Gen. 43. v. 7. Judas quoque dixit patri suo: Matte puerum mecum, etc. Gen. 43. v. 9 Ego suscipio pue●um: de manu mea requi●e illam, etc. Gen 43. v. 9 S● non intercessisset dilatio, jam vice alterá venissemus. Gen. 43. v. 10. Igitur Israel pater eorum dixit ad eos: Si sit necesse est, facite quod vultis, sumite de optimis terrae fructibus in vasis vestris. Gen. 43. v. 11. Pecuniam quoque duplicen ferte vobiscum: & illam, quem invenistis in saculis, reportate, ne fortè errore factum sit. Gen. 43. v. 12. was there any necessity then to speak of him? and what need was there of engaging him for my whole Family? Pardon us answered they: for this man by order of the state, made enquiry concerning your Family, who you were, whether you were alive, and how many Children you had? To which we answered conformably to his demands, without foreseeing that he would afterwards command us to bring him our youngest Brother. Permit us then said Judas to carry him, lest we all chance to die for very hunger, and that our poor Children perish before our eyes: For my part I am ready to Answer for him, and to engage my life for his, that in case I do not bring him back, you may take mine, and let me for ever remain culpable of his death: besides, we should be already upon our return a second time. Go then, answered Jacob, Since you will have it so, and since it is a necessity which admits of no remedy, Go then in the name of God, and carry with you the fairest Fruits, and the most precious Perfumes you can find; forget not to carry Frankincense, Honey, Myrrh, Terebinth, and Almonds. Take also twice as much Money as yond need, and above all, add unto that which you found in your Sacks, lest the same came to you but by mistake. In fine, Sed & fratrem vestrum tollite, & ite ad virum, Gen. 43. v. 13. Deus autem meus omnipotens faciat vobis eum placabilem, & remittat vobiscum siatrem quem tenet, etc. Gen. 43. v. 14. Tulerunt ergo viri munera, & pecuniam duplicem, & Benjamin: descenderuntque in Aegyptum. Gen. 43. v. 15. carry your Brother with you, and go find this man, whom I beseech God, with my whole heart, to render propitious and favourable to you, to the end he may speedily send back to me your brother Simeon, with my Benjamin. Mean while I shall be the most unfortunate of all Fathers, because I shall be without Children. They loaded themselves then with Presents to carry into Egypt, and with the Money which Jacob had appointed them; they took Benjamin by the hand, and after Jacob had embraced and watered him with some tears, they took him with them. What separation, and what ravishment! Alas! what can Jacob from henceforth do all alone, and in the absence of Benjamin? Poor father! whither goes this Son? through what place will he pass? And with how many dangers will he meet before his arrival in Egypt? he is young, he is weak, and he is tender; he knows not what the toil of a journey meaneth; what will he do in a Foreign Country, and amongst persons who seeing him will be either touched with Love and pity towards him, or not; and if he please them, and move them unto Compassion, they will never send him back; on the contrary, they will use him as a Slave, and as they shall perceive him more Innocent, and more simple than the rest, they will make a Victim of him which shall satisfy for all the rest. Why have I then consented to his departure? and why did I not rather go than he? but I have been enforced to leave him, and I know not who will have the care of him in my absence. At least if I might have carried him in my arms, or on my shoulders, and what ever happened, he would have always found safety in me during his life, and repose after death. I should have been his refuge, Bed, and Tomb; But now I know not where he is, Benjamin is gone: Ah, where is he! It is not to be doubted but these were the entertainments, and the most usual thoughts of Jacob during the whole Journey of his Children. Et steterunt coram Joseph. Gen. 43. v. 15. Quos cum ille vidisset & Benjamin simul, praecepit dispensatori domus suae, dicens: Introduc viros domum, & occide victimas, & instrue convivium: quoniam mecum sunt comesturi meridie, Gen. 43. v. 16. Ibique exterriti dixerunt mutuò: propter pecuniam quam retulimus prius in saccis nostris introducti sumus, ut devolvat in nos calumniam, & violenter subsiciat servituti, & nos & asinos nostros. Gen. 43. v. 18. Quamobrem in ipfis foribus accedentes ad dispensatorem domus, Gen. 43. v. 19 Locuti sunt, Oramus, Domine ut audias nos, Jam ante de scendimus ut emeremus escas. Gen. 43. v. 20. Sed & aliud attulimus argentum, ut emamus quae nobis necessaria sunt. Gen. 43. v. 21. At ille respondit, pax vobiscum, nolite timere: Deus vester, & Deus patris vestri dedit vobis thesauros in saccis vestris: nam pecuniam, quam dedistis mihi, probatam ego habeo. Gen. 43. v. 23. Eduxitque ad eos Simeon Gen. 43. v. 23. Et introductis domum, attulit aquam, etc. Gen. 43. v. 24. Illi verò parabant munera, donec ingrederetur Joseph meridie, Gen. 43. v. 25. Meanwhile, they travel into Egypt, where being arrived, they are brought unto Joseph, who casting his Eyes on them, and upon Benjamin, caused immediately Victims to be killed, and commanded the Steward of his house to conduct them unto his Palace, and to prepare a Feast, by reason about Noon he intended to dine with them. It was at this, these poor men were astonished, for since they did not expect so good a reception, they feared lest the Hall into which they were brought, might be changed into their Prison, and that the Dinner prepared for them might prove their last repast; they then whispered in each others ear, that without doubt they were drawn into danger by reason of the Money which had been found in their Sacks; and that infallibly there was an intention to make them undergo the punishment of a crime of which they were no ways guilty. This said, they run after their Conductor, and having Stayed him at the door, they related to him what had passed; protesting that they knew not who had designed them this mischief, and besides, that they had never the least thought of his Money; in witness whereof they had brought it with the surplusage sum which was necessary to buy their Commodities. No, no, answered he, you need not fear any thing, Peace be with you, it is your God, and the Lord of your Father who hath put into your Sacks the Money you found in them. As for that which you gave me it is very good, and you ought not to disquiet yourself concerning it. This said, Simeon was conducted to them, and then they brought water to wash their feet. In the interim they prepare their Presents in expectation of Joseph, who intended to dine with them. As soon as he came, they immediately cast themselves at his feet, saluting and presenting him with what they had brought. Then Joseph saluting them again with all manner of courtesy and goodness, Obtuleruntque ei munera teuentes in manibus suis & adoraverunt proni interram. Gen. 43. v. 26. At ille, clementer resalutatis eye, interrogavit eos dicens, etc. Gen. 43. v. 27. Qui responderunt: sospes est servus tuus pater noster, adhuc vivit. Et inclinati adoraverunt eum. Gen. 43. v. 28. Attolens autem Joseph oculos, vidit Benjamin fratrem suum uterinum, & ait: iste est frater vester parvulus? & rursum Deus, i●quit, misereatur tui, sili mi. Gen. 43. v. 29. Festinavitque quia commota fuerant viscera ejus super fratre suo, & crumpebant lacrimae, & introiens cubiculum, flavit. Gen. 43. v. 30. inquired of them how their Father did, and whether he were yet alive. Yes, answered they, your most humble Servant, and our most honoured Father is yet living, and as we believe, in perfect health. Saying this, they all bowed down before him, and rendered their duties in the most affectionate manner it was possible for them to do. After all these honours Joseph lifting up his eyes, and perceiving Benjamin, then demanding whether he were not the youngest amongst them whom they had formerly mentioned, he said unto him; Ah! my Son, I beseech God to have pity on thee, and to take thee into his holy protection: Now he perceived that his heart was ready to discharge by his eyes, part of the affection, joy and compassion wherewith he was touched at the sight of Benjamin: which obliged him to leave them suddenly, and to retire into his Chamber to weep his fill. The eyes are not only the gates of light, but also of all passions; Amongst others, Love and Mercy make their entries and sallies by them. Sometimes also Joy becoming so excessive, passeth through these Crystal gates, and it seems that these living Mirrors are constrained to melt at the same instant the Soul hath received some darts from the hand of Love, Pity and Joy. The most generous spirits are commonly most subject unto these sweet tendernesses. The most unworthy are those which never weep; and surely as they have but Souls of Ashes, so their eyes are always dry: But on the contrary, a good Spirit being in the Body as a great River in a bed of Sand, Decent tenderness. the least wind can hardly rise without breaking down its banks, and escaping at least by the two Eyes, which are as so many Channels through which the Spirit disburthens itself. Now as there may be many causes of this inundation, so we should often fear that it might happen either in the day, or in public: For there would be some danger that without Ink and Paper, secrets might be written on our Cheeks with that water which flows from our eyes; We might often also accuse of weakness, even the most noble, and most generous Sentiments of our hearts: In fine, there be seasons, days and places in which we ought not to speak but by silence, and where the Eyes as well as the Tongue should be dumb. Joseph could not restrain his tears at the sight of Benjamin; but it was a most prudent Act to withdraw himself, to pay this tribute unto the goodness of his mind, and to an object worthy of pity, Joy and affection. Having then dried his eyes, Rursumque lota facie egressus, continuit se, & ait: ponite panes, Gen. 43. v. 31. Quibus appositis, searsum Joseph & scorsum fratribus, Aegyptii quoque qui vescebantur simul, seorsum (illicitum est enim Aegypti●s comedere cum Hebraeis.) Gen. 43. v. 32. and washed his face, he came back to them, and without making show of any emotion, he commanded that the Table should be presently covered; which being done, he set himself on one side, and his Brethren by his command were placed on the other; and since it was prohibited the Jews to eat with the Egyptians, all those that were with Joseph, and used to take their repast with him, took their places apart. All things were wellordered at this Feast, joseph's Brethren were seated every one according to his age; Sederum coram eo, primogenitus juxta primogenita sua, & minimus juxta aetatem suam. Gen. 43. v. 33. Sumptis partibus quas ab eo acceperant: Majorque pars venit Benjamin, ita ut quinque partibus excederet. Gen. 43. v. 34. Biberuntque & inebriati sunt cum eo. Gen. 43. v. 34. the Eldest was in the most honourable place, and the youngest sat according to his degree. Joseph himself took the pains to wait on them. But the greatest cause of their astonishment was that after they had all received their portions, it appeared that Benjamin had five times more for his share than any other. This nevertheless, did not hinder the Joy and mirth of the Feast, for there were nothing but acclamations and rejoicings. God knows whether Joseph forgot the health of the Father of his Guests, and whether he drank that of Benjamin. However it were, the holy Scripture saith in express terms that they were all drunk. I know not yet whether Joseph and his Brethren were inebriated with Wine, which being taken in excess, useth to raise dazzling fumes, and confused vapours in the head. Whence it happens, that the brain being troubled, all the gestures of the body, and the operation of the Senses are out of order. The face waxeth pale, Plin. lib. 14. c. 22. the nose grows sharp, the checks swell, the eyes are inflamed, the tongue falters, the mouth drivels, the hands tremble, the feet interferre, and the whole body is in a Palpitation. In fine, after this Commotion, Eclipse, of Reason in Wine. and during this Eclipse, the understanding remains in so obscure a night, as it knows not itself. This Fountain of the day brings forth nothing but Thunderbolts, its Torch is extinguished, its Lights are confused, and its lightnings are but stinking Exhalations, which rise from the Lees of Wine. Now this comes to pass, because Reason, though most pure and spiritual, Arist. lib. 3 de anim. 19 & lib. 1. de anim. p. 63. depends on gross and terrestrial Images which reside in the Fancy, and being disquieted, represent unto the mind nothing but Phantasms and a Picture of Illusions. Then Man ceaseth to be a man, since he is devoid of Reason. Aug. Serm. 23. de vitanda ●●rietate. He is in a state inferior to Beasts, who satisfy their appetites without stifling them. It is then more probable that Joseph was not Inebriated at his Feast, but with the pleasure and joy he had to see himself in the midst of his Brethren. Without doubt also his Guests were so violently transported with the honour they received from him, as they became, as it were drunk with it. Torrente voluptatis tuae potabis eos, psal. 59 But the drunkenness of the one and the other, was but an ecstasy, and a delicious Rapture, near resembling that of the blessed Souls which are in Heaven, Inebriabuntur ab ubertate domus tuae, psal. 35. and swim in an Ocean of glory, and in the torrents of Delights, whereof God himself is the Fountain, when he goes as it were melting, and distilling himself into their breasts, in such sort as they become even Inebriated with him: Comed●stis & nos estis satiati, bibistis & non estis inebriati. Agg. 1. But their drunkenness is but a most holy and just satiating, which shall endure so long as God is God, that is to say, during all Eternity. O my Soul! hast thou not then a desire to go unto this Sacred Feast? Wilt thou not break thy chains, and get lose from thy Captivity to come unto this Joseph? when shalt thou see this Brother? and when shalt thou sit at Table with him to drink by his side, and receive from his most amiable hand the portion of thy Felicity? O God what inebriation of Love! what excess of delights! I think it long till I come unto this Banquet where that delicious wine is tasted which useth to bring forth Virgins, and where our Joseph, or Brother, our Lord, our God, is seen without veil or Cloud. CHAP. VIII. Joseph known by his Brethren. AT Banquets saith Aristides it often happens that Water is changed into Wine, that Wine is mingled with Blood, and that overheated Blood begets inflammations, Feasts of death. which are never extinguished but with life. It is with the point of a knife, and upon plates or Napkins sentences of death and decrees of condemnation are written. At least it is there where oftentimes, as a Politician hath observed, passions are enkindled, Envy is fed, Treasons are nourished, and liberty takes all the advantages to do Mischief. Nevertheless there are feasts where sweetness, Praecepit autem Joseph dispensatori Dom●s s●●● etc. Gen. 44. v. 1. Scy hum autem m●um arg●nteum, & p●●tium quod dedit tri●●ci pon● in ore facti junior●● Gen. 44. v. 2. Theodoretus Quaest. 105 in Genesim. peace, and the most Innocent pleasures furnish out all the Services. Such doubtless, was the feast Joseph made for his Brethren; for though it was there where he resolved to deceive them and to make them believe they were Thiefs: Yet his design was very just, and he had no other intention than by a stratagem of Love, and by an Artifice of prudence to try the tenderness and inclinations they had for Benjamin. However this Amorous dissumulation and this wise experiment much disquieted them; jamque urbem exierant, & processerunt paululum: tune Joseph acce●sito dispensatore domus, Surge, inquit & persequere viros & apprehensis dicite quare reddidistis malum pro bone? Gen. 44. v 4. Scyphus quem furat estis ipse est in quo bibit dominus meus & in quo augurari solet-Gen. 44. v. 5. and the● were extremely surprised, when they were accused for Thiefs by his order, who before had treated them as Brethren. Scarce were they gone out of the City, but joseph's Steward stayed them by direction from his Master, and said unto them, Ah! Thiefs that you are, are you not ashamed to have rendered ill to those who have done you good? Where have you then put the Cup you have Stolen from us, and in which my Master useth to Drink and to foretell what will happen. Alas! Answered they, what do you say? Qui responderunt: quare sic loquitur dominus noster ut servi tui tantum flagitui commiserint? Gen. 44. v. 7. ●●cuniam quam invenimus in summitate saccorum reportavimus ad te, etc. Gen. 44. v. 8. Apud quemcumque fuerit inventum serv●rum tuorum quem quaeris, mo●iatur. Gen. 44. v. 9 Qui dexit eyes: fiat juxta v●stram fententiam. Gen. 44. v. 10. Quos serutatus inciptens â maiore usque ad minimum, invenit Scyphnm in sacco Benjamin. Gen. 44. v. 12. For what persons do you take us? And in truth, do you believe that we intended to do you wrong? do you not know how hitherto, we have demened ourselves? And that we brought back all the money which was found in our Sacks, when we returned out of Egypt? How could it possibly happen that at this time we should rob you? Surely we have nothing else to allege, but only entreat you that if any of us be found guilty, you would put him to death without other form of process. Well then I am content replied this man, let it be done as you desire. Then searching them from the highest to the Lowest he met at last with joseph's Cup in Benjamins' sack. O God what astonishment and what surprise! Accidents are sometimes so unexpected, and misfortunes so convincing that Innocence itself hath cause to wax pale, and to have some apprehension. Moreover there are certain Vices so foul and infamous, as it is enough to be Suspected to render us miserable; and we pass for Criminals, when we are but accused: What is it then to be convinced of it and to have the earnest of our Crime in our own hands? shall we not pass for Homicides when we are found holding a dagger in our hands & all alone near a deadbody, which swims in his own blood? May we not also be accused of Theft, and be thought the authors of it, when we are taken with a purse newly cut, and with goods which have been lost? The Children of Jacob had then cause enough to be frighted, and their misfortune was inexcusable. Thus like despairing men they found no consolation but in their grief, At illi scissis vestibus, reversi sunt in oppidum. Gen. 44. v. 13. Primúsque Judas cum fratribus ingressus est ad Joseph (necdum enim de loco abierat) omnésque ante eum pariter in terram corruerunt. Gen. 44. v. 14. Quibus ille ait: cur sic agere voluistis? an ignoratis, quod non sit similis mei in augurandi scientia. Gen. 44. v. 15. Cui Judas: Quid respondebimus, inquit, etc. Gen. 44. v. 16. and the most present Remedy they had, was to tear their Garments, and speedily to return unto Joseph. Having found him in the same place where they had left him, after they had all cast themselves at his Feet, scarce daring to speak a word, so much were they confounded, he himself was forced to begin and declare unto them, that it was a great wonder to him how they durst offer him this injury, since they could not be ignorant, that he was the most skilful man of Egypt in the Art of Divination. Then Judas beginning to speak for them all, freely confesseth that they knew not almost what to say or think; that their misfortune was inexcusable, and for the rest it was God who had a mind to punish them; as also that they were all at his mercy, resolving to live and die in Bondage. God forbidden, Respondit Joseph: absit à me ut sic agam: qui suratus est scyphum ipse sit servus meus. Gen. 44. v. 17. Replies Joseph, I should take away liberty from those who are not guilty. As for the party who hath committed the offence, I will detain him for my Slave, and it is just he should be punished according to his desert. Behold the Sentence given: Accedens autem propius Judas, confidenter ait, etc. Gen. 44. v. 18 But Judas appealed unto the Clemency of his Judge, and approaching nearer to him, he asked his leave to speak unto him with Confidence. My Lord, says he, as you are next unto the King, the Chief of Egypt, I cast myself at your Feet as my Judge, and Sovereign: I earnestly call upon your goodness, not on your Justice. If we be guilty, you can render us innocent. The eyes of a Prince have looks which efface all stains, and one tear in their presence can wash away a Thousand sins. It sufficeth if we may cast ourselves at their knees, to find a Sanctuary, and we need but speak unto them, to be presently heard. Call to mind then my Lord what we long since said unto you, Est nobis pater senex, & puer parvulas, qui in senectute illius natus est, cujus uterinus frater mortuus est, & ipsum solum habet mater sua: pater verò tenere diligit eum. Gen. 44. v. 20. remember that we are all Children of one Father, oppressed with old age and incommodities, and that all his hopes rely on this Innocent, who is found guilty; you will deprive him of life by robing him of this jewel. He is the only child left him by his last wife: For by mishap a beast hath devoured the other which he had of the same bed. It is in obedience we bring him to you, and it was with a promise speedily to restore him; I am engaged in my person, Ego propriè servus tuus sim, qui in meam hanc rec●pt fidem, etc. Gen. 44. v. 22. and in that of my Children: Nevertheless he lives only by the assurance he hath to see him again, all the rest are indifferent to him, and he will rather choose to die a Thousand times of hunger, than to live in plenty after he hath lost the moiety of his heart, and the most precious of his goods. Manebo itaque servus tuus pro puero in ministerio domini mei. Gen. 44. v. 33. Non enim possum redire ad patrem absente puero, ne calamitatis, quae oppressura est patrem meum, testis assistam, Gen. 44. v. 34. Permit us then, to restore life unto him from whom we have received it. For my part I will never return without I bring him back: At least take me in his place, and send him back with his Brethren, lest I be a witness of the grief which will doubtless kill my Father when he shall know that Benjamin is made a Captive. Here it is where Joseph was not Master of his tears, Non se poterat ultrà cobibere Joseph multis coram astantibus: unde praecepit. ut egredientur cuacts foras, nullusque interesset alienus agnitioni mutuae, Gen. 45. v. 1. Elevavitque vocem cum fletu: quam audierunt Aegyptii, omnisque domus Pharaonis. Gen. 4●. v. 2. and his Heart was ever ready to have sallied forth by his Eyes; but he first dismissed those strangers who were with him, and would have none for Witnesses of his goodness but those who had made him the Subject of their rage. When he saw himself then alone with his Brethren, Love, which is all fire, meant to dissolve into tears, and the sad remembrance of all that had passed drew cries and sighs out of the bottom of his Heart, which were heard through the whole House. In fine, he was necessitated to discover himself, and as we must know before we Love, so Joseph resolved to be known, and to declare what he was. Et dixit fratribus suis: Ego sum Joseph, adh●c pater meus vivit? non poterant respondere fratres nimio terrere perteriti. Gen. 45. v. 3. Brethren saith he, I am Joseph, Alas! is my Father yet living? could I be so happy as to see him before his death! They were so much Surprised at the bare recital of the name of Joseph, as they had not the power even to open their Mouths to speak unto him: Afterwards looking one upon another as stricken from Heaven, is this Joseph, thought they, Alas! where are we? And from whence may he come? Yes it is I, Ego sum, ait, frater vester Joseph quem vendidistis in Aegyp tum. Gen. 45. v. 4. Nolite pavere, neque vobis durum esse videatu● quod vendidist●s me in his regionibus, etc. Gen. 45. v. 5. saith he, who am Joseph, I am the same person whom you have so unworthily sold. At last do you acknowledge me for your brother? Approach then, come that I may embrace you, fear nothing, but know that although you have sold me, yet I have not lost the quality of your Brother. I am Joseph, you have no cause to be affrighted, time hath effaced the ill you have done me, and at present I only remember that I am your brother. You need no Advocate, since blood and Nature plead in your behalf. It is enough, that we are all jacob's Children, I own this favour to piety and Love, and I cannot refuse you what is yours even by the Privilege of Birth. The ties which fasten us are stronger than the Chains of that Captivity into which you reduced me. Non v●stro confilio, sed Dei voluntate huc missus sum, qui secit me quasi patrem Pharaonis, & Dominum universae domus ejus ac principem in omni terra Egypti. Gen. 45. v. 8. It is God alone who hath conducted me unto this place, and who after all my misfortunes hath raised me on the Throne of Pharaoh, to be the chief Ruler of his Dominions, and to provide for the necessities of his people in Conjunctures of time, and disasters which desolate the whole Land. I refer myself unto yourselves, who are Eye witnesses thereof, and you know at your own cost what hath passed. You see that I have the absolute Command in Egypt, and that Pharaoh though elder than myself doth me the honour to call me his father. The name of Saviour which I bear, is not a bare Title, but the effects sufficiently demonstrate, that Heaven hath chosen me to preserve the lines of an infinite number of people, whom Famine would have destroyed. It is not out of any Spirit of vain glory I open unto you all these Verities; But only to the end you may know that it is GOD alone who hath broken my Chains, and who amidst all the disasters of a cruel servitude hath led me even unto Regality. I adore all the effects of his amiable Providence, and I can only accuse you, as the Instruments and Executioners of his Divine Decrees. Do not then apprehend any thing, but rejoice that you have been the Instruments of God in so important a matter. For my part, I am confounded, seeing the triumph of my weakness, and the Haven where, after so many Tempests, I am arrived. I look upon you as the Winds and Oars whereof God, as a wise Pilot, made use to convey me even in the midst of Rocks, and amongst so many waves unto the Throne of Egypt: Well then, my most dear Brethren, it is time to Convert your fears and Sorrows into Congratulations and applauses. The winds are now appeased, the storm is laid, Festinate, & ascendite ad patrem m●um, & dicetis ei: haec mandat filius tuus Joseph: Deus fecit me, Dominum universae terrae Aegypti: Descend add me, ne morieris. Gen. 45. v. 9 Adhuc enim quinque anni residue sunt famis. Gen. 45.11. and the Sun of Jacob is risen in Egypt. Take a journey than I beseech you, to visit my Father, and inform him that Joseph is found, that you are sent from him, that you have both seen, and spoken with him, and that he sent you to bring him, lest some ill might happen to him, and that Death surprise him, as well in respect of his old age, as by reason of the public miseries, which will still endure for the space of five years. After this Commission, Osculatusque est Joseph omnes fratres sues, & ploravit super singules. Gen. 45. v. 15 Joseph having no other motive which might oblige him to conceal the tenderness of his affections, his Eyes were enforced to render that tribute unto Love, which without violence they could not restrain. Lightnings are too hot to remain enclosed in the Clouds, and Clouds are too cold to endure the rays of the Sun, without being melted and dissipated. Now the heart of Joseph being like a Thunder bolt wrapped up in Clouds, What wonder then if this Thunder break forth, and if all the Forces of his heart, which were weaker than the Clouds, dissolved into Tears in the presence of this Sun. Thus was Joseph constrained to shed tears enough upon his Brethren, Cumque ampiexatus recidisset in collum Benjamin flevit. Gen. 45. v. 14. to estate the remnants of their terrors; but in the first place he took Benjamin into his arms, and holding him close to his bosom, Delicious tears. he kissed him, shedding tears on his mouth, which came from the bottom of his heart, and he left him not, but to kiss the rest of his Brethren, and to witness to them by his embraces and tears, the force and tenderness of his affection, which was not only placed on an Innocent, but also upon Offenders. Alas! Fair Spectacle. what spectacle of Love? what Theatre of Passions? what kisses? what embraces? what tears? O God what excess of goodness in Joseph? who having been persecuted by his Brethren even to death, will take no other revenge of the injury he received, than by his Silence, by his Tears, by his Sighs, by his Kisses, and by all sorts of benefits. Where are then all those pitiless hearts? Deadly Vengeances. where are those mortal vengeances? where those tyrants who know not what it is to pardon when once they are offended? where is Joseph? And where is he who after a long Contest, embraceth his adversaries, who kisses them to stifle all their mischievous designs, and who hath tears of Love to quench the fire which nourished their darkest Passions? At least there are but few who do like Joseph, that is to say, without interest, without constraint, without dissimulation, and when they have still the power of revenge in their hands. It is said, that a Lion hath so discreet and generous furies, as we need but cast ourselves at his Feet to appease him in the height of his rage. But there are more savage and cruel men, A more than brutish inhumanity. who cannot temper their wrath, and in what posture soever we set ourselves before them, they still remain inflexible. If wounds be laid open unto them, to excite them to compassion, they cast new darts to poison them; If a man humble himself, they trample upon him; if he flatter them, they are exasperated; If they be entreated, this renders them more obstinate. Above all, they are inexorable and inflexible, if it lie in their power to do mischief without fear of receiving any from those that may be their victimes, and the Subjects of their brutality. And if some Image of Pity, Love, or Honour touch their Hearts, and draw some drop of water from their Eyes, and some kindnesses from their Hands or Mouths, it is not without vanity and noise. This indulgence must be published in all places, and it seems that the whole World ought to be advertised of it, as of an universal Jubilee. Ridiculous ceremonies. This pardon than is Shamefully acquired, and there are no Ceremonies in the Church, and no Formalities at the bar, which are not to be observed for the confirmation of this reconciliation, and to render this accommodation more remarkable. On the contrary, Joseph retires, and will have no other Witnesses of his favours than those who have been the Authors of his misfortunes. He will discover his goodness, Auditumque est & celib●i sermone vulgatum in aula Regis: venerunt fratres Joseph. Gen. 45. v. 16. Et gavisus est Phara● atque omnis familia ejus. Gen. 45. v. 16. Dixitque ad Joseph, ut imperaret fratribus suis dicens, enorate sumenta, ite in terram Chanaan. Gen. 45. v. 17 Et tollite inde patrem vestrum & cognati●n●m & venite ad me & ego dabo vo●is omnia bona Aegypti, ut comedatis medullam terrae. Gen. 45. v. 18. Praecipe etiam ut tollent plaustra terra Aegypti ad subvecti●nem parvulorum suorum accongugum. Gen. 45. v. 19 Singulis quoque proferri iussit binas stolas: Benjamin vero dedit trecent●s argenteos cum quinque stolis optimis. Gen. 45. v. 22. and conceal their malice; his intention is not to confound, but rather to encourage them. Nevertheless what ever he did, the whole Court knew immediately that his Brethren were come. The very noise of it flew even to the Ears of Pharaoh, who together with all the Servants of his house expresseth an unspeakable joy. But to the end this joy might be universal, his pleasure was that Joseph should command his Brethren to return into Canaan, and bring unto him their Father with his whole Family, that they may live at their ease in the best part of Egypt. Now to the end this might be done with the most conveniency, he ordained Chariots to be made ready for them, and horses provided for their wives, Children, and for the most commodious transportation of all the Movables of their Family. Joseph forgot nothing which Pharaoh gave him in Charge. When they were even ready to departed he commanded that two suits of apparel should be brought for every one, and over and above five handsome garments for Benjamin, Tantumdem pecuniae, & vestium mittens patri suo. Gen. 45. v. 23 Dimisit ergo fratres suos & proficiscentibus ait: Ne irascamini in via. Gen. 45. v. 24 with three hundred pieces of Silver; without omitting Jacob to whom he sent the like present. After this he sent them back, chief recommending unto them Peace and Love. O God what pleasing departure! what amiable Sepuration, when they leave Joseph to return unto Jacob. Ah! how delicious is it to meet with the Heart of a Brother in the arms of a judge? And to go directly from a brother unto a Father, to reunite the Father unto his Son, and to live in so well-united and holy a community? O my Joseph, An amiable relation of Joseph to Jesus. my Jesus, and my Saviour, discover unto me that face so full of Majesty, and those delicious Looks which make the Paradise and felicity of Angels. Ah! my Jesus, since Joseph was your image treat me as he treated his Brethren, and appear not unto me as an incensed judge who contrives the sentence of my death, but as a wellbeloved Brother. I confess that I have betrayed you; that I have sold you, and that I sought to deprive you of life: But you are my Brother, my Joseph, and my Saviour. O my Jesus, pardon me. Alas! I am ravished at the sight of your Grandeurs, and of the glory which environs you. I should not hope for the happiness to see your Tomb changed into a Throne, your Cross serving as an Instrument to raise unto you a Trophy of honour, I did not expect to see you a Sovereign in the Egypt of the World. But behold me now a Captive and Criminal at your feet. Behold me wholly confounded and trembling. O my Jesus, take pity then on me, and say only that it is you that are my Jesus, and my Brother; afterwards I will go from you unto your Father and mine, and then I will come with him before you to live forever with him and you. CHAP. IX. Jacob's going down into Egypt, and the honourable entertainment he there received from Pharaoh. THere are few Palaces and Houses like that of this enchanted Island which Fables describe, where the courses of the Planets are always Regular, where the Air is free from Clouds, Fire from Smoak, the Ocean from Tempests, and the Earth from Concussions. The Felicity of this World is a great Clock raised upon many Wheels, and a body formed of divers members, where there is always some diforder. Love, hatred, aversions, envy, hope, desires, Felicity subject to alteration. terrors, shame, choler, jealousies, despites, and rage, join with the Soul and Body, with Parents and Friends, with place and seasons, with Elements, and all natural beings, to keep a poor man always floating, and always wavering like a Reed, or as a Bark which is in the midst of the Sea at the mercy of winds and storms. Above all, it is a common saying, saith Pythagoras, that grief and pleasures make the fairest and most deformed faces in the world. These two Passions are on the Earth, what the Sun and Moon are in the Heavens. They cause day and night, Spring and Winter; but we have more frequently Snows than Dews. And most Men seem to be born under a frightful Climate, where the night lasts three and twenty hours, and where the Sun very seldom appears. Besides, it is often doubtful, whether it be the Sun or Moon we behold. We are so accustomed to darkness, as we know not whether we take the twilight of the evening for the Aurora, Blindness of most men. and day for night. Sorrows and afflictions cast so many clouds over our mind, as the eyes are dazzled, and the first draughts of pleasure which appear to us are in appearance but the Idea of some Dream, and a shadowed light in the depth of the night. Jacob never believed he should ever see Joseph again, Incredulous Love. and after a night of three and Twenty years, he had surely no ground to hope for the return of the Sun; his eyes and spirit were so well acquainted with the rigours of Death, that he no longer minded the sweets of life. In fine, having in a manner made him die so often, he did not expect they would make him revive in restoring to him his Joseph, who was the life of his heart, and the sight of his eyes. Nevertheless, Et nunciaverunt ei, dicentes: filius tuus vivit, & ipse dominatur in omni terra Aegypti. Quo audito Jacob, quasi de gravi somno evigilans, tamin non credebat eyes. Gen. 45. v. 26. Illi è contra referebant omnem ordinem rei. Cumque vidisset plaustra, & unite sa q●ae mis●rat, revivil spiritus ejus. Gen. 45. v. 27. Et ait: Sufficit mihi si adhuc Joseph filius meus vivit: vadam & videbo illum ante quam morior. Gen. 45. v. 28. his Children return out of Egypt, and assure him that Joseph is alive, and that he is very powerful in the Land of Pharaoh. Jacob could not believe it, and as a man who suddenly awaked after a long sleep, he took all that was said to him for the Image of a Dream. In fine, when he perceived that they constantly persisted in relating orderly to him all that had passed; and on the other side, seeing all the Baggage they had brought, he began to come unto himself, and as if this happy news had restored him his Speech and life, he began to cry out; It satisfieth me, that Joseph is living. Ah! I will go unto him, and at least see him once more before I die. O God what consolation for a good Father to see again a good Son? he was dead in his thoughts, and behold him risen again; He was lost, and is found again; a cruel Bear had devoured him, and of all his relics there was only left him a bloody garment, A strange change. and behold him on a Throne, and Master of one of the fairest Empires in the Universe. What alteration? and what Metamorphosis? humane Prudence, what sayest thou unto this? Art not thou then ravished at the sight of these Prodigies? hast thou not a desire to submit unto the Laws of this wise Intelligence which sports with these Counsels, and goes even under the Abysses of misfortune there to produce Peace, Glory, and immortality as a fair day in the midst of darkness? Yes truly; but to adore the effects of the Divine Providence, and the most absolute power it hath over our lives and honours, We must follow Jacob, and go visit Joseph. Love hath wings at his Feet like Fame, Profectusque Israel cum omnibus quae hab●bat, venit ad puteum juramenti. Gen. 46. v. 1. he knows not what delay and retardment meaneth. Jacob is on his way to see Joseph, he is already in Bershabe, near unto that famous Well, where Abraham heretofore made a solemn agreement with Abimelech, and where both of them swore an inviolable peace. There it was where Jacob stayed to offer his Sacrifice unto God upon the Altar of Abraham. Et mactatis ibi victimis Deo patris sui Isaac. Gen. 46. v. 1. Audivit cum per visionem noctis vocantem se, & dicentem sibi, Jacob, Jacob, cui respondit, Ecce adsum. There having immolated Victimes he resigned into the hands of God, all the designs of his voyage, he resolves to pass away one night in that place. But scarce had he closed the eyes of the body, but those of his soul were opened to see and hear the God of his Father Isaac, who called Jacob, Jacob, to which Jacob had nothing else to say, but that he heard his voice, and was most ready to execute his Commands. Courage than Jacob, Ait illi Deus: Ego sum fortissimus Deus patris tui: noli timere, descend in Aegyptum, quia in gentem magnam faci●m●te ibi. G●●. 46. v. 4. Joseph queque ponet manus suos super oculos tuos. Gen. 46. v. 4. for it is the most powerful God of thy Father Isaac, who calls and appoints thee to pass into the Land of Egypt: And there it is where he intends to make thee a Father of many Nations. Yes, saith he, I promise thee Jacob, that I will go with thee, and I assure thee, that Joseph shall close thine eyes with his own hands. O God what Sacrifice? what Vision? What Speech, and what Oath? As for the Sacrifice, in the first place, what Jacob did aught to be an instruction to all those who leave their Country, and intent to alter the course of their lives, that before all things they should consult with God, and take him for their guide, in the Voyages, & designs they take in hand: for it is unto him we ought first to Sacrifice our hearts, and immolate all our hopes, otherwise we shall look behind us like that wavering Woman, who for her inconstancy was turned into a Statue of Salt. Secondly, the apparition of God which Jacob saw, is a certain token, that his eye still watcheth over those who dedicate themselves unto him; and that he is neither deaf nor dumb to those that speak unto him. Thirdly, God's promise is too faithful, and his Love too generous to forsake those who walk in his ways, and have taken him for their guide. Fourthly, when God promised jacob to bring him back out of Egypt, this must be understood of his Posterity, and of the Israelites, jacob's Successors, whom God after Two hundred and Fifteen years, brought back out of Egypt into Chanaan: Touching Jacob he died in Egypt between joseph's arms, as we are going to see in the sequel of this History. It sufficeth for the present to follow him in the remainder of his voyage. It was about the morning of the second day that Jacob forsook Bershabe to pursue his Journey. Surexit autem Jacob à puteo Juramenti, etc. Gen. 46. v. 6. It was indeed one of the fairest spectacles which ever appeared on the Confines of Palestine, to see him in the head of his Troops, as a good Father followed by his Children. But I assure myself it had been most delicious and profitable to hear them, if the holy Scripture would have given us some brief relation of their Discourse. Nevertheless, Cunctae animae ingressae sunt cum Jacob in Aegyptum sexaginta, Gen. 46. v. 26. it acquaints us with the number of these happy Travellers, which were seventy in all, comprising therein Joseph, with Manasses, and Ephraim, his two Sons who were born there. Hence it evidently follows, that when Moses said there went thither Sixty and six, he did neither put in the list Jacob nor Joseph, Manasses nor Ephraim: On the contrary, when Saint Luke reckoneth Seventy and five, he comprehends in that number, the Sons and Nephews of Joseph, whose birth happened during the life and residence of this holy Patriarch in Egypt. Meanwhile Jacob pursues his Journey: Misit autem Judam ante se ad Joseph, ut nunciaret ei; & occurreret in Gessen. Gea. 46. v. 28. but before his setting foot in Egypt, he sent Judas to find out Joseph, that he might be advertised of his coming, and go forth to receive him in the Land of Gessen. Joseph hath no sooner heard this news, Quò cum pervenissent juncto Joseph curru, ascendit obviam patri ad eundem locum. Gen. 46. v. 29. but he set forth to meet jacob. God knows whether the time might seem long unto him, and whether his heart and mind went not faster than his body. God knows also the various thoughts Jacob had in Expecting Joseph, saying, Alas! what pains for one pleasure? what desires for one fruition? what Thorns for one Rose? what Nights for one Day? and how many Combats, and dangers for one Triumph? In fine, behold Joseph in jacob's bosom, Vidensque eum, irruit super collum ejus, & inter amplexus flevit, Gen. 46. v. 29. Dixi●que pater ad Joseph, Jam laetus morior, quia vidi faciem tuam & superstitem te relinquo, Gen 46. v. 30. At ille locutus est a● fratres suos, & ad omnem domum patris sui, ascendam & nunciabo Pharaoni, dicamque ●i: Fratres mei, & domits patris mei qui erant in terra Chanaan, venerunt ad me. Gen. 46. v. 31. Cumque vocaverit, & dixerit, quod est opus vestrum? Gen 46. v. 33 Respondebitis: viri pastores sumus servi tui, ab infantia nostra usque in praesens, & nos & patres nostri. Gen. 46. v. 34. behold the Father in the Arms of his Son. joseph leaps on his neck, and dearly embraceth him: but he had no other than tears to utter. What then can jacob say? Ah! my Son, saith he, now that I have seen thy face, I am content, and after this I shall willingly die; for it sufficeth me to leave thee alive. After this joseph turning himself towards his Brethren, and towards all those of jacob's house, began to say unto them that he was going unto Pharaoh to advertise him, that his Brethren were arrived with their whole Family, and that they had brought their Flocks and goods with them; and when Command should be given them to see the King, if he chanced to ask them of what Trade they were, they should answer, they had no other than that of mere Shepherds, and that all their ●indred, who were, as well as themselves his most humble servants, and resolved to live and die in his service, never had any other employment since their birth. Behold the instructions Joseph gave to all his Brethren, whilst he conducted them with his Father to salute Pharaoh. Now it was not out of Compliment he put these words into their Mouths; but upon Design, that the King hearing they were Shepherds, and brought up in this Profession, might permit them to live peaceably together with their Father in the Land of Gessen, habitare positis in terra Gessen: quia detestantur Aegyptii omnes pastores ovium. Gen. 46. v. 34. which was nearest unto Chanaan, where there were also lovely Pastures, and where they should be severed from the Egyptians who mortally hated all the Shepherds which were in their Country, by reason they had not the religious impiety of Egypt, which adored Animals for Gods, and who for that effect durst not kill them, detesting for that reason all the Shepherds of other Regions, who had the care of Feeding their Flocks, to the end they themselves with others, might be nourished by them. In fine, Extremos quoque fratrum suorum quinque viros constituit coran Rege. Gen. 47. v. 2. Hebraei, Hemerus, Pererius, Oleaster. In optimo loco fac eos habitare, & trade eye terram Gessen. Gen. 47. v. 6. Quod si nosti in eyes esse viros industrios constitue illos magistros pecorum meorum. Gen. 47. v. 6. Post haec introduxit Joseph patrem suum ad Regem, & statuit eum coram co. Gen. 47. v. 7. Et benedicto Rege egressus est soras. Gen. 47. v. 10. the advice of joseph, and his desire found happy success: For assoon as he was returned unto the Court, he presented unto Pharaoh five of his Brethren, who in show promised the least. The King having cast his eyes on them, and knowing they were Shepherds, gave them Gessen for their quarter, and Commanded from that time they should take care of his Flocks. Not long after jacob entered, who bore on his brow the Majesty of a King, the authority of a Patriarch, the wisdom of a Prophet, and the glory of a Father of Nations. When first he saw the King, he besought Heaven to pour on him and his Kingdom all sorts of Benedictions. The holy Scripture hath not otherwise declared unto us jacobs' entry into the presence of Pharaoh; for my part I have often represented him unto my thoughts at the door, or in the King's antichamber, bareheaded, and with hair whiter than Snow, a beard down to his girdle, and a neck bowed with old age, eyes watered with tears, and all his whole body somewhat trembling. Me thinks I see him supported on one side with joseph, on the other by Benjamin: I even hear some sighs which issue forth of his mouth to refresh the ardours of his heart; for notwithstanding all the coldness of his age he always conserved in a dying body, the sense of a truly generous soul, and of a spirit of fire which was never out of Motion or Action. I know not what Pharaoh thought, seeing this good old man: Et interrogatus ab eo quot sunt dies annorum vitae tuae. Gen. 47. v. 7. Respondit: Dies peregrinationis meae centum triginta annorum sunt, parvi & mali, & non pervenerunt usque ad dies patrum meo um quibus peregrinati sunt. Gen. 47. v 9 Floscule mane puer, media vir floscule luce, Floscule sub nocte sole cadents senex. Sic oreris morcrisque uno tu floscule Phoebo, Vno sisque puer, virque senexque die. but he asked him how old he was, to which he made answer; Sir, for the space of a hundred and thirty years I have been a Pilgrim on the Earth. This journey truly is very short, if you only consider its durance; but very long, if you cast your eyes on the miseries of my life; Nevertheless, I am not yet arrived to the Term of my Forefathers. Few old men will be found in the World who may not say the same: For life is but a course, in which we go from our Cradle to the Tomb. Days, months years, and entire Ages are but moments in the sight of God. Man is but but a Flower which gins to blow at the break of day, to fade about Noon, and to drop away at night. He is a shadow which passeth away, a Feather which flies, a Reed which breaks, an Image which loseth its Luster, a Vapour which is dissipated, a Beauty which perisheth, a breath, a smoke, and a puff of Air, which swells in the midst of a storm, and appears on the water to dissolve at the same instant. Nevertheless, we need no longer space to see and feel much misery: For it is enough to be born of a woman, to be consumed with sorrows, and to serve as a pitiful Subject to all sorts of Accidents; Vicissitudes of life. Witness jacob, who was no sooner come into the World, but he must leave his Father's house to go from thence with a staff in his hand into Foreign Countries, and like a fugitive, to shun the persecution of his Brother. We need but follow him in this sad journey, and spend with him Twenty years in quality of a Servant at Laban's house; From thence we must departed out of Mesopotamia and bondage, to expose ourselves unto dangers of Death, and to meet with Esau, who comes to assail him with four hundred men. We must see him in the affrightment he took, at the Murder his Children committed upon the Sichemites. Had he not also some cause to die at the death of Rachel, and to expire on her body, which enclosed the moiety of his life? But who could behold the sorrow which pierced his heart, when his Children were so impudent, as to bring incest even into his house? Surely he would have said that his life was but a web of misfortunes, if we join with it the loss of Joseph, the separation of Benjamin, the captivity of Simeon, and finally his last departure out of Chanaan; Life both very short and long. who will deny he had reason to say, that his life had been very short, if we only consider the durance thereof, and very long, if we would contemplate the misfortunes contracted at his birth never to forsake him. But as the setting Sun useth to dissipate the Clouds which had obscured it in the day, and as sometimes wind, rain, and a tempest cease in the evening; so Jacob at the end of his life began to enter into a calm, and to enjoy fair weather. It was in the City of Heros, Joseph verò patri & fratribus suis dedit possessionem in Agypto in optimo terrae loco Ramesses ut p●aeceperat pharaoh. Gen. 47.11. as the Septuagint have expounded it, or else in Ramasses, which is upon the Land of Gessen, where Jacob made his last abode, and where he found at last a haven after all his miseries, as we are going to see. CHAP. X. The last words of Jacob. ALas! there is nothing eternal amongst created things, and nothing which gins not to wax old assoon as it gins to live. Life and Deathare inseparable companions which follow each other at a near distance, and tread even upon the same steps. God himself, saith Tertullian, Roc stipulata est Dei vox, hoc spopandit omnt quod nascitur, etc. Tertul. lib. de an. cap. 30. is as it were engaged thereunto by his word, and all creatures at their birth are obliged unto it by promise at the very instant they enter into the world. Life notwithstanding hath no regular periods, and though he that made every thing with weight and measure, hath shut up Creatures in the circle of Ages, yet he hath not prescribed them equal limits; but there are some who make their voyages longer or shorter than others. However in vain is it to stray, and take byways: For we must either in the morning, at noon, or in the evening arrive at our Lodging, and after a thousand and a thousand wind at our final resting place. It is there, said Calisthenes, where Fathers and Children, Calesthenes, M.S. young and old, wise men and fools, the strong and weak, and even the demigods, find themselves confused with Plants and beasts. Death (said a Favourite of Justinian) pitcheth every where his tents, and we as often hear mournful Ditties under Velvet Canopies, and in Balisters of Ivory, as under Pavilions of corpse Cloth, and Cottages thatched with straw. We see in Town ditches, and under the dust of Battles, Captains lying amongst Soldiers. We behold under merciless blades, and amongst Scymiters, people lying with their Magistrates: And at best there are but some Stones, some cyphers, and Epitaphs which distinguish them. Death then is more just and civil than birth. The last hath Complacences for some, and rigours for others; but the first is indifferent towards all, and we see at her feet, Sceptres amongst scythes, with this Inscription, The Motto of Death Nemini parco. I spare not man. Death suffers not its self to be corrupted by favour, it is on the River of oblivion, and all the bodies he ferries over in his Boat are naked, not to appear different one from the other. It was for this reason, as the incomparable Picus of Mirandula said; Most important advice. Wise men during their lives, and especially upon the approach of death, aught to perform such actions as their memory might be immortal, to the end if Death be common to them, the manner of dying might be peculiar. The Phoenix is no less subject unto death than Owls, but Owls die in the night, and in a hollow place of some rotten Tree: Whereas the Phoenix expires in the rays of the Sun, and upon a pile of Cinnamon and Musk. The Swan is no more exempt from it than the Raven: But the Raven dies craking upon some carrion, and the Swan singing upon the bank of some fair River. Jacob, who as the Father of Nations seemed to have right unto Immortality, was yet no more immortal than Esau; but their death will be very different. For Esau dies suddenly like a Raven, and an Owl; but Jacob a far off saw his hours approaching; like a Phoenix, and as a Swan which sings according to the common saying, when he is breathing his last. He was a hundred forty and seven years old when he perceived the arrival of that moment which was to finish the course of his life. Factique sunt omnes dies vitae illius Centum quadraginta septem annorum. Gen. 47. v 28. Cumque appropinquare cerneret diem mortis suae vocavit filium suum Joseph, & dixit ad eum: Si inveni gratiam in conspectu tuo pone manum tuam sub femo●e meo, & facies mihi misericordiam & v●ritatem, ut non sepelias me in Aegypto. Gen. 47. v. 29. Sed dormiam cum patribus meis, & auseras me de terra hac condasq, in sepulchno majorum meorum. Gen. 47. v. 30. Rupertus hic. Then this happy Patriarch commanding josephs' presence said unto him; My Son, it is time for me to die, there is no appeal. I go whither Abraham and Isaac are gone before, and you shall come thither after me. Meanwhile I prithee, if thou lov'st me, put thy hand under my thigh, and assure me that after my death thou wilt transport my body out of Egypt into Chanaan, to bury it in the Sepulchre of my fore Fathers. This is all I ask, and all the favour I expect from thy love and goodness. jacob had reason to desire to be carried into Chanaan, and laid in the monument of his Ancestors: for this was the Land promised to his Children, and which was to be one day consecrated by the worship of God, and by the presence of the Messiah. As for the the Oath to which he obliged joseph, it did not proceed from any distrust of his affection and fidelity, Adoravit Is●ael Deum conversus ad lectuli caput. Gen. 47. v. 31. Ribera in c. 11. ad Heb. Abulensis, Et alii hic. His ita transactis nunctatum & Joseph quod aegrotaret pater fuus, qui assumptis d●oobus filiis Manasse & Ephraim, ire perrexit. Gen. 48. v. 1. but it was only done to the end, that if Pharaoh should hinder him from rendering this duty unto his Father, he might answer, he was engaged thereto by Oath. After this protestation Jacob adored God, first turning his head towards the bed's side, where Joseph stood, and directly towards the East, because it was in this place, they were accustomed to offer Sacrifices and erect Altars, or rather to cast some look towards the Land of promise on which he had already placed all his hopes and desires. Afterwards Jacob chancing to fall sick, the news of of it was presently brought unto Joseph, who immediately took with him his two Sons, Manasses and Ephraim, to see him once more, that they might receive his last Benediction. Dictumque est Seni: Ecce filius tuns Joseph venit ad te. Qui confortatus sedit in lectulo. Gen. 48. v. 2. Et ingresso ad se ait: Deus omnipotens apparuit mihi in Luza, quae est in terra Chanaan, benedixitque mihi. Gen. 48. v. 3. Et ait: Ego te ougebo, & multiplicabo, etc. Gen. 48. v. 4. Duo ergo filti tui, qui nati sunt tibi in terra Aegypti, antequam bue venirem ad te, mei erunt. Ephraim & Manasses, sicut Reuben & Simeon reputabuntur mihi. Gen. 48. v. 4. Reliquos autem quos genueris post eos, tui erunt, & nomine fratrum suorum vocabuntur in possessionibus suis. Gen. 48. v. 6. At the report of josephs' return, jacob more vigorous than before, raised himself half up in his bed, and perceiving him entering, he said unto him; My Son, it is necessary thou shouldst know that the Omnipotent God of my forefathers appeared unto me in Luz, which is in the Land of Chanaan, to give me his benediction, and to assure me I shall be the Father of a long posterity, and that one day my Children shall be heirs of this most blessed Land. I adopt then thy two Children which were born in Egypt, before I came into these parts, and I will have them from hence forth reputed no less mine than Reuben and Simeon. Thereby joseph came to know that Manasses and Ephraim should have their Tribes a part, and their share of succession in Chanaan, as well as Reuben and Simeon, and his other Children, which was the cause he farther said unto joseph, that if he chanced to have other Children, they should be only in such sort esteemed his, as not to have other Tribe than that of Manasses and Ephraim, and no other share of the Possessions in Chanaan. Rachel was not forgotten in his Will, for jacob having spoken of his Children, remembered her, and saith to joseph; My Son, I adopt thy Children: Mihi enim quando venicham de Mesopotamia mortua est Rechel in terra Chanaan in ipso itinere, & sepelivi eam juxta viam Euphratae quae alio nomine appellabatur Bethlem. Gen. 48. v. 7 Vatabius hic. for Rachel by whom I might yet have had more Children died too soon for me, and for the good of my whole Family. It was at my return from Mesopotamia, in the Land of Chanaan, and very near unto Ephrata, that is Bethelem, where she is interred. It is probable, that jacob might have said more, and that he might have stayed longer upon the sad memory of his dear Rachel, if at the same time he had not had a glimpse of Manasses and Ephraim, whom joseph presented to him, Adduc, inquit, eorad me, ut benedicam illis. Gen. 48. v. 9 Oculi enim Israel caligabant p●ae nimia senectute, & cl●●è videre non poterat. Gen. 48. v. 10. Applicitosque ad se de osculatus est, & circumplexus eos. Gen. 48. v. 10. to receive a second time his Benediction. I know not whether joseph, and all that were Witnesses of this interview could restrain their tears: But to speak the truth, it was a spectacle worthy of compassion to behold jacob upon his deathbed, striving to see the two Children of joseph, who drew near him, and whom he could hardly have known, if joseph had not named them, and assured him, that they were his Children. Then both of them cast themselves gently on his body, which jacob feeling, he kissed them one after the other, and then having embraced them, he turned his eyes towards joseph, and said unto him. My Son, Dixit ad filium suum, non sum fraudatus aspectu tuo: insuper ostendit mihi Deus semen tuum. Gen. 48. v. 11. what a happiness is it for me to see thee before I die? Ah! surely I never could have believed it: But at last he that never forsakes those who serve him, hath hitherto preserved thee, and it is he who at this instant makes me enjoy the sight of thee, and thy Children. jacob notwithstanding, did not suffer Manasses and Ephraim to departed, but held them still in his arms and on his breast, until joseph, who feared they might disease him, Cumque tulisset eos Joseph' de gremio patris adoravit pronus in terram. Gen. 48. v. 12. Et posuit Ephraim ad dexteram suam, id est, ad sinistram Israel, Manassen verò in sinistra sua ad dextram scilicet patris, applicuitque ambes ad eum. Gen. 48. v. 13. Benedicitque Jacob filiis Joseph & ait, Gen. 48. v. 15. Which being done, he cast himself on his knees near jacobs' bed to adore his God, and to thank him for the favours his goodness had imparted to him. Afterwards, perceiving that this holy man, by little and little drew near his end, he set Ephraim at his right side, and Manasses at his left, to place Manasses on the right hand of Jacob, Ephraim on the left. But Jacob who saw less with the eyes of the body, than with those of his soul, and who considered not so much the present as the future, holding his arms across, laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, who was the youngest, and his left on Manasses, who was the eldest, and blessed them both in this manner. Deus in cujus conpsecta ambulaverunt pitres mei, etc. Gen. 48. v. 15. I beseech with my whole heart, that God in whose presence my forefather's, Abraham and Isaac, have walked, that God who nourished me from my tenderest youth even to this day, Angelus qui eruit me de cunctis malis, benedicat pueris istis, & invocetur super eos nomen meum. etc. Gen. 48. v. 16. that Angel who hath guarded me from all evil, to vouchsafe a blessing unto these two Children. Let my name, and that of my forefathers Abraham and Isaac, be earnestly called upon for them, and may they have large increase upon the earth. Joseph grew sad, Videns autem Joseph quod posuisset pater suus dexteram manum super caput Ephraim graviter accepit, etc. Gen. 48. v. 17. seeing his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, and endeavoured to put it on that of Manasses, advertising Jacob that he had taken the younger for the elder brother. But Jacob answered, Qui renuens ait, Scie fili mi, scio, & iste quidem erit in populos & multiplicabitur: sed frater ejus minor, maior erit illo, & semen illius crescet in gentes. Gen. 48. v. 19 Benedixitque eyes in tempore illo dicens: in te benedicetur Israel, atque dicetur, faciat tibi deus sicut Ephraim & Manasse. constituitque Ephraim ante Manassen. Gen. 48. v. 20. Et ait ad Joseph filium suum: En ego morior & erit Deus vobiscum, reducetque vos ad terram patrum vestrorum. Gen. 48. v. 21. Do tibi partem unant extra sratres tuos quam tuti de manu Amorrhae●in gladio & arcu meo. Gen. 48. v. 22. that he well knew what he did, and that for the rest Manasses should be powerful in people, and in all sorts of possessions. But that Ephraim though he were the least and youngest should exceed him, and have a larger posterity than he. In effect, he gave them his benediction, and preferring the youngest before the eldest he finished this Ceremony in saying, Israel shall be blessed in you, and when Parents shall give their blessings unto their Children, they shall beseech God to multiply them as he hath Multiplied those of Ephraim and Manasses. After this Jacob began to turn himself towards Joseph to advertise him that he was now dying, and that for the rest God would be with him and his Children, and would bring them all back into the Country of their fore fathers. In fine, he gave unto joseph, as a birthright above his Brethren, the Land he had in Sichem which was one of the fairest parts of his possessions, and which he particularly affected, as having formerly acquired it by force of arms from the Amorites. CHAP. XI. The last Will and Testament of Jacob, containing the benedictions given unto the twelve Patriarches. AMongst all the exercises of life there is not any one more necessary and more important than timely to learn the manner of dying pioussy. Death lays every where ambushes for us, and only waits for the hour to surprise us: It is a difficult Art to die well. But there is scarce any person who can dispose himself to expect it, by reason the bare thought of it useth to terrify us. Nevertheless we must grow familiar with this cruel tyrant, and perform very often during life what we could wish lay in our power to do at the hour of death, otherwise we find ourselves surprised, when this Merciless executioner takes a trumpet in his hand to sound the last retreat which must be made unto the tomb. Then is it that the loudest talkers become dumb, and that the boldest are wholly out of countenance, and many in this state are so far from thinking on others, as they hardly know themselves. It is a great comfort nevertheless, Vocavit autem Jacob filios suos, & ait eyes: congregamini ut annuntiem quae ventura sunt vobis in diebus novissimis. Gen. 49. v. 1. to have words and blessings in our mouths even to the last gasp, and to be able to die like jacob, who drawing near his passage, called together his Children, and particularly remonstrated unto each of them in these terms, the condition and course wherein their affaris should be in ti meto come. Reuben my Eldest Son, Reuben primogenitus, tu fortitudo mea, & principium doloris mei: prior in donis, major in imperio. Gen. 49. v. 3. I gave thee life being in the flower and strength of my age, thou art the first, for whom I had those cares and disquiets which fathers commonly have in the education of their Children: Thy advantages and privileges ought to be greater than those of others, and thy posterity more powerful than that of thy brethren. Nature made thee their Chief, and their Prince: Effusus eis sicut aqua, non crescas: quia ascendisti cubile patris tui, & maculasti stratum cjus. Gen. 49. v. 4. But the Justice of God who never leaves a Crime unpunished, will revenge that which thou hast committed in staining my bed; And as odours which are tainted, lose their virtue; so the effusion and prostitution thou hast made of thyself will occasion that thy race and posterity shall never be considerable, either by Authority, Number, or Riches. Simeon and Levi, impious Warriors, Simeon & Levi siatres: vasa iniquitatis bellantia. Gen. 49. v 5. whom a blind fury hath rendered, more like than nature, and blood, you are the Instruments and Authors of the unjust and bloody slaughter of the Sichemites: In consilium corum non veniat anima mea, etc. Gen. 49. v. 6. I did not approve the effects of your cruel revenge, when it was executed, I then condemned it, and shall condemn it now dying, and detest the fury and brutish perfidiousness which made you surprise and massacre Hemor, Sichem, the Father and Son with their Subjects; Maledictus suror eorum, quia pertinax, & indignatio corum, quia dura: d●vidam vos in Jacob, & dispergam eos in Israel. Gen. 49. v. 9 The disclaim I made of your cruelty shall not be without effect: Because you have conspired to do mischief, you shall be for ever separated; So obstinate and inveterate hatred as yours deserves a lasting chastisement, which will take from you all the power of reuniting yourselves to execute your wicked designs. Juda, Juda, te laudabunt fratres tui: manus tua in cervicibus inimicorum tuorum, adorabunt te filii patris tui. Gen. 49. v. 8. you shall be praised and honoured by your Brethren, they shall adore and acknowledge you for their King, you shall triumph over your enemies, and be more dreadful than a young Lion whom hunger excites to the rage which is natural to him; you shall march with your victorious Army, to make the Usurpers feel that they shall not long enjoy their tyrannical Conquests. The happiness inseparably fastened to your Arms shall render you formidable, when you are in peace, and you shall have no neighbour so bold, as to declare war against you, to regain what you have taken from him. The Crown shall not departed out of the house of Juda, and it shall give Kings unto Judea, even till the coming of the Messiah, Non auferetur Sceptrum de Juda, etc. who will be the desire and general expectation of all Nations in the World. This great Prince shall unite the Jews and Gentiles, Donec veniat qui mittendus est: & ipse erit expectatio gentium. Gen. 49. v. 10. and these two people shall make but one. It is true that this union shall cost him dear: for having but one deportment and countenance, to which all people shall bear respect, and invest him with the power of commanding them as a Sovereign, his eyes being full of splendour and lightnings, Pulcriores sunt oculi ejus vino, & dentes ejus lacte candidiores. Gen. 49. v. 12. He being the most beautiful, and most accomplished of all men, will not rest satisfied by his incomparable attractives to vanquish hearts, and link them fast together; but will mingle an effusion of his Divine blood to perfect this alliance, Vide Tertul. S. Ambros. ubi de benedictione patriae, c. 4. & S. Chrys. and will die in blood his sacred body, which as a Robe & precious Mantle shall cover the wonders of the Divinity personally united to him. Zabulon shall dwell on the Seashore, Zabulon littore maris babitabit, & in station navium pertingens usque ad Sidonem. Gen. 49. v. 13. Issachar asinus fortis, accubans inter termi nos, Gen. 49 v. 14. Vidit requiem quod esset bona, & terram quod optima, etc. Gen. 49. v. 15. and in the Havens which are on the coasts of Palestine, even as far as the City of Sidon. Issachar shall make choice of a more happy and quiet life, he shall delight in Tillage, and the fertile land which shall fall to his lot he shall cultivate with no less peace than perseverance. His pains shall not be fruitless, and in the Continent he shall have all the advantages of those Countries which lie near the Sea, making an exchange with them of its Corn and fruits for those Merchandises which come from remote Nations: He will impart the riches which agriculture shall afford him, unto those who shall govern the Republic, and purchase his repose by the Contributions he shall voluntarily give for the maintenance of such as bear Arms, so long as he shall live quietly in the heart of his Possessions. Dan judicabit populum suum, etc. Gen. 49. v. 16. Dan shall be the Judge of his people, as well as of the other Tribes of Israel; Dan by surprise shall ruin his enemies, Fiat Dan coluber in via, cerastes in semite, mordens ungulas equi, ut cadat ascensor ejus retiò. Gen. 49. v. 17. even as Snakes which hid themselves on the sides of highways to destroy Passengers, who stand not sufficiently on their guard; or as that crafty Serpent which bites the hoof of a Horse, to make his rider fall, and to infect him with his venom, when he is thrown on the ground. Notwithstanding the artifices men may use to defend themselves; I shall never think, that all their forces, and wiles, can equal the effects of the Protection which the Messiah will give us: Salutare tuum expectabo do nine. Gen. 49. v. 18. I shall always expect it, and never believe that there is any assurance comparable to that which we shall receive from the affection and power of this great Prince. Gad having received his share, Gad accinctas praeliabitur ante eum; & ipse acciugitur retrorssum. Gen. 49. v. 19 shall march in the head of his Brethren, to establish them in their Possessions, and returning unto his Territories loaden with Booty, he will make his retreat in so good order, as he shall not be disturbed by his enemies. Asser shall possess the portion of Palestine which looks towards the Sea; Aser pinguis panis ejus, & praebebit delicias Regibus. Gen. 49. v. 20. this Land doth produce all things desirable for the entertainment and comfort of life, both Corn and Fruits are there so excellent, as they will serve for delicacies unto Kings. Nephtali will testify his courage, Cervus emissus, & dans eloquia pulcritudinis. Gen. 49. v. 21. casting himself into dangers, to defend his Brethren, and shall give them cause to admire and praise him. He will break all the obstaeles which shall oppose his generous design, as a wounded Hart, which though timorous by nature, Vide Caietanum & Lipoman. breaks yet sometimes through the toils of Hunters, and from the cruel teeth of Dogs, to defend that life which they would violently take from him. The felicity of Joseph shall still increase, Filius accrescens Joseph, & decorous aspectu, filiae discurrerunt super murum. Gen. 49. v. 22. Sed exasperaverunt eum, & jurgati sunt, invideruntque Illi habentes jacula. Gen. 49. v. 23. his beauty is so extraordinary, as Ladies esteemed themselves happy to see him, and they placed themselves at Doors and Windows to look on him as he passed through the streets: Nevertheless, such as aught most to love him, have conspired his ruin, and transported by a furious passion of envy sought to hinder the effects of the promises of Heaven. But as the designs of men cannot alter the decrees and ordinances of God: So Innocence proved stronger than malice, and the Chains wherewith his unchaste Mistress had loaden him, and the slavery to which his own Brethren had reduced him, were the means whereof Divine Providence made use to make him King of Egypt, and to secure and preserve the goods and lives of those who wished his death. My most dear Son, Deus patris tui erit adjutor tuus. Gen. 49. v. 25. the God whom thy Father adoreth, will always assist thee; he will replenish thee with benedictions, and cause the most favourable Dews to fall upon thy Lands; he will cause streams of living water to flow into their bosom and bowels, for the refreshing, and inlivening thy Roots, Plants and Trees; Thou shalt have a particular blessing in thy Children, Vide Lyram, Abul. Per. Rupert. Cajet. Lip. and their great numbers shall manifest that thou art the object of the dearest and most exquisite Providences which God declares to have for men. Thy Father hath been more favoured than his Ancestors, thou shalt enjoy both their favours and mine, and the blessing I promise thee shall never cease, until God having given himself unto men in the person of the Messiah, shall no longer testify his particular affection towards his Friends in giving them perishable goods. All these graces and favours are due unto thy virtue which hath conserved its self without stain, and hath also rendered thee as considerable amongst thy Brethren, as the Nazarites who peculiarly consecrate themselves unto the service of the Divine Majesty. Benjamin as a ravenous Wolf shall in the morning devour his prey, B●njamin ●upus rapax mane comedet praedam, & vesyere divide spolia. Gen. 49. v. 27. Vide Procop. Euseb. Theodoret. Abul. etc. Er praecepit eis dicens: Ego congregor ad populum meum, sepelite me cum patribus in spelunca duplici quae est in agro Ephron Hethaei. Gen. 49. v. 29. and in the evening share and divide the Spoils. Behold the Benedictions Jacob by heaven's direction gave to each of his Children. He afterwards recommended unto them the Burial of his body in the Tomb of his forefather's, and having exhorted them to remain constant in the service of God, died peaceably in his bed. Can we represent unto ourselves an end more sweet and quiet? I well know that the like deaths are seen in sacred Houses. I have seen such with mine own eyes, and with my ears I have heard of some jacob's who have closed their mouths with Benedictions and Canticles of Victory. I have seen standers by, bathed in tears, and yet their hearts filled with Joy, receiving the last words and benedictions of dying men. I know that the like effects are sometimes seen in the world; and there have been some Kings and Queens, Fathers and Mothers, Men and Women, of all states and conditions, who have spoken on their deathbeds with so much Judgement and force of spirit, as if they had been upon a Throne, or in a Pulpit. Likewise from thence Edicts, Laws, and Lessons are heard, in which there can be no deceit nor disguisment. But it will be granted me, that these examples are very rare amongst those whose lives pass away in noise and tumult: For Death is an Echo which answers life, and a night which resents the Calm, or else the Storms of the day which preceded. And truly, what can a dying man say, who hath lived in the intriges of Fortune, in the Labyrinth of Law-suites, in the encumbrances of a Family, in an abyss of passions, and in a hell of Miseries? after this, what can you expect from these infortunate Parents, and from these miserable friends, which cannot say any thing to themselves, but that they are hopeless? Ah! what farewell? what separation? and what kind of death? Children of Saints, predestinate Souls, happy Successors of Jacob, fall not into these precipices, but follow the way and tracks which are marked out to you by your forefathers. And thou, my dear Reader, build at least an Oratory in thy heart, and make a Temple of thy house, and an Altar of thy Bed, where thou mayst offer unto God, what thou hast, what thou art, and what thou hast been. In fine, have then words in thy mouth for thyself, for thy Children and Friends, to the end having given thy benediction to those that have deserved it, thou mayst obtain the blessing of God, who is thy Father, thy King, thy Maker, and thy last end. CHAP. XII. The Lamentations of Joseph for the Death of Jacob. NAture useth to exact duties which cannot be denied her without Injustice, and some kind of cruelty. A man must have the soul of a Tiger to be devoid of grief and resentment for the miseries of a Parent or friend, then chief when he either hears them related, or is a witness of them. I know there are shameful defects and misbeseeming a good courage; and sometimes tears and sighs serve but to vent weaknesses, and to betray the constancy we ought to have: But very often there are Tributes which must be paid unto love and piety; And such tears as these (saith St. Ipsae dulces lacrimae sunt, ipsi fletus iucundi, quibus restinguitur ardor animo & quasi relaxatus evaporat affectus. Ambr. Ambrose) quench the ardours of our Souls, and cause our sincerest and most tender affections sweetly to evaporate by our eyes. These are generous tears and impositions unto which the noblest persons are most obliged. For my part I laugh at certain slight Philosophers who study to show in their Stoical countenances, and hold as the Principle of their Academy, That we must be always equal without distinguishing, That there is a certain equality, more proper to a marble Statue, than to a reasonable man. The wisest Philosophy hath far better Maxims, and one of her Axioms is, that There are times & occasions which require sentiments of Joy, and other seasons which demand expressions of grief. And truly were it a handsome thing to see a Son with a smiling countenance and dry eyes at the Tomb of his father? It would be a strange spectacle to see him in the midst of a banquet, and at a Ball, when his Father is laid in the earth; and I would willingly know amongst what nations, and in what sect, there are laws which dispense with what is due unto the sweet memory of the living and dead. Above all, the custom of funerals, and those ceremonies which, Quod cernens Joseph, ruit super faciem patris flens, & deosculans eum, Gen. 50. v. 1. Praecepitque servis suis medicis, ut aromatibus condirent patrem Gen. 50. v. 2. Flevitque eum Aegyptus septuaginta diebus. Gen. 50. v. 3. Dixitque ei Pharaoh: ascend & sepeli patrem tuum sicut adjuratus es. Gen. 50. v. 6. Quo ascendente ierunt cum coomnes senes domus Pharaonis, cunctique majores natu terrae Aegypti. Gen. 50. v. 7. Domus Joseph cum fratribus suis, etc. Gen. 50. v. 8. Habuit quoque in comitatu currus & equites, etc. Gen. 50. v 9 Absque parvulis, & gregibus atque armentis quae dereliquerant in terra Gesson. Gen. 50. v 8. Veneruntque ad aream Atad quae sita est trans Io●danem, etc. Gen. 50. v. 10. ubi celebrantes exequias planctu magno atque vebementi impleverunt septem dies. Gen. 50. v. 10. Reversusque est Joseph in Aegyptum cum fratribus suis. Gen. 50. v. 14. Quo mortuo timentes sratres ejus, & mutuo colloquentes: ne fortè memor sit injuriae quam passus est, & reddut nobis omne malum quod fecimus. Gen. 50. v. 15. though very different, have been always observed in like accidents, are so just and ancient, as we cannot condemn them without accusing the first men in the World, and those eminent persons who have been the Masters of virtue and piety. Witness Joseph, who having received in his bosom, and into his mouth, the last groans of his father, cast himself on his body, and whilst he watered his face with tears, procured Physicians to embalm him according to the custom of the Egyptians, who spent seaventy days in mourning for Jacob. After which Joseph asked and obtained leave of Pharaoh to conduct him unto the Monument he had bought in Canaan, to which he was followed by the old men of Egypt, and by all the most ancient Officers of the king's house. I find not in what rank joseph's brethren went, but they were accompanied thither by a great number of Chariots and horsemen, which joined together, made up a great Convoy, although all the Children and troops had been left in the land of Gessen. In fine, they all arrived at a spacious place which was beyond Jordan, which the Hebrews called Atad, by reason it was covered all over with Thorns, and which now bears the name of Betagla, which is as much to say, the lodging of the circle, because the Children of Jacob set themselves there in order to perform the Ceremonies of the funeral, and to deplore the loss of their father with the greatest demonstration of sorrow, all which was performed in the court of Atad, and in this house of tears, for the space of seven entire days. Afterwards Joseph with his brethren, and all the rest of the Convoy, returned into Egypt, to settle themselves in their usual employments. Now it was there, where fear which is the inseparable companion of a guilty soul, had leisure again to agitate these poor wretches, who persuaded themselves that having lost their Father, there remained nothing for them but a Judge in the person of their Brother, who had motives powerrull enough to revenge himself of their disloyalty. Mandaverunt ei dicentes: pater tuus praecepit nobis antequam moreretur, Gen. 40. v. 16. haec tibi verbis illius diceremus: obsecro, ut obliviscaris sceleris fratrum tuorum, etc. Gen. 50. v 17. Quibus auditis flevit Joseph. Gen. 50. v. 17. Veneruntque ad cum fratres sui, & proni adorantes in terram, dixerunt, servi tui sumus. Gen. 50. v. 18. Quibus ille respondit: Nolite timcre; Ego pascam vos & parvulos vestros, etc. Gen. 50. v. 21. Some remedy must then be found to oppose the danger which threatened them. To this effect they chose one amongst them, who should go unto Joseph, and whose Commission was to inform him, that Jacob their deceased Father of happy memory had commanded them at his death to tell him, that he desired him to forget what was past, and they all conjured him in his name to grant this favour. Which Joseph hearing, he began to weep, and his tears served to assure his Brethren, who cast themselves at his feet, taking at the same time the boldness of their own accord to demand that Pardon from him, which they had already solicited by the means of Benjamin, or some other, who they believed would be more acceptable to him; adding besides, that they were all his Servants, and resolved to live and die in that quality: To which Joseph answered, that they need not fear any thing, that he would take care of them, and of all their Children, and for the rest he would not be less pitiful towards them than God, whose example he followed, and who had changed all their evil purposes into favourable occasions to procure his good, having also rarsed him, as it were, on a Throne of honour, and power, by the same Arms they had used to precipitate him into an Abyss of miseries and calamities. Behold the sense of a noble Soul, and of a generous courage, whose tears did not resemble those of Crocodiles, nor such kindnesses as are used by Apes which strangle in flattering, and in shedding feigned tears. Revenge is only proper unto weak minds, whereas Clemency resides always in a strong spirit. Cruelty is a Tyranny, and meekness a true Empire: To want the power of retaining any bad resentment is to be invulnerable; And those souls also on the contrary, are always covered with Wounds and Ulcers which keep in their hearts desire of revenge, and cannot grant a Pardon. This is more deplorable, in respect neither God nor Man have any compassion for those who cannot afford it unto the miseries of others: And on the contrary, either soon or late, there are treasures of graces for those on whom good nature or virtue bestows those amiable inclinations, which are mortal enemies to revenge and cruelty. And it was, I assure myself, upon this occasion, and to gratify Joseph for the good entertainment he had given his Brethren, and the sweet correspondeney he endeavoured to hold with them in despite of all the bad Offices he had received from them, that all the powers of Heaven and Earth combined to render him perfectly happy, almost during the whole course of his life, which reached to one hundred and ten years, Vixitque centum decem annis. Gen. 50. v. 22. Et vidit Ephraim sibios usque ad tertiam generationem. Gen. 50. v. 22. Et conditus aromatibus, reposi●us est loculo in Aegypto. Gen. 50. v. 25. at the end of which he saw himself environed by his Children, and by his children's Children, even to the third generation, who at last rendered him all the same duties which they had done unto Jacob: for being dead, they imbalmed him, and his bones a long time after were carried into the Land of promise, according to the desire of this great Patriarch, from whose end, as from that of his forefathers, we ought to conclude, that it is good to lead a virtuous life, that we may die holily. We die every hour, and our life is a living death, which consumes of itself: our looks, our vows, our words, our gestures, and all our motions are steps which conduct us to the Tomb. THE HOLY HISTORY, FIRST TOME MOSES. FIFTH BOOK. CHAP. I. His Birth and Education. THe prodigious increase of the people of Israel, Filii Israel ereutrunt, & quasi germinantes multiplicati sunt, ac roborati nimis impleverunt terram. Exod. 1 v. 7. Creverunt Hebraei divinitus foecundata eorum multitudine. Aug. lib. 18. de Civit. c. 7. in the Land of Egypt, after the decease of Jacob, and of all his Children, was not only a work of Nature, but a miraculous effect of Divine Providence, which enkindled the Ashes of these blessed Patriarcks, and intended that their Tombs should be an unexhaustible Spring of life and immortality. Egypt nevertheless was too much blinded to penetrate these secrets; Surrexit interea Rex novus super Aegyptum, qui ignorabat Joseph. Exod. 1. v. 8. Et ait ad populum suum: Ecce populus filiorum Israel multus, & fortior nobis est. Exod. 1. v. 9 And Joseph being dead, he that took the reigns of the Empire not knowing the services, this wise Minister of State had rendered unto his Predecessors for the space of fourscore years, seeing that the Israelites went on daily increasing in forces and men, resolved to humble and suppress them, lest in time they might chance to join themselves with the enemies of his Kingdom, and form a Party against the State. Nevertheless, Venite, sapicuter opprimamus eum, ne fortè multiplicetur, & si ingruerit contra nos bellum, addatur inimicis nostris, expugnatisque nobis egrediatur de terra. Exod. 1. v. 10. they were like those Grains which shoot out of the Earth, and bear a thousand little Ears, which the Wind, Sun, and Rain beat not down, but to make new productions. But this young Pharaoh who began to Reign, hath not eyes quick enough to discern these mysteries, and his hand, though most powerful, was yet too weak to destroy this fair Nation. Jacob is dead, Joseph is deceased, and this illustrious Colony which left Canaan to come into Egypt, hath followed Abraham and Isaac, They are no more, but the Children of their Children, and their Posterity shall never end. In vain is it to cast them into servitude, Quantó ●ue opprimebant eos, tan●o magis multiplicabantur, & crescebant. Exod. 1. v. 12. to impose on them a yoke a thousand times more cruel than death, and to load them with Irons like Victims: These punishments, this bondage, and all these chains serve but to reinforce their Bodies; and me thinks the sweat which drops from their Foreheads in the midst of their pains, is converted into the Juice of Life, which renders them marvellously fruitful. Have you not seen a River which issueth imperiously after it had passed through the midst of Rocks? There are no banks, nor limits, nor any obstacles which it draws not a long with it; It swells, the more it is restrained, and commonly its highest elevations grow from its greatest falls. Thus the people of Israel, little in their Birth, and as a little Rill in its source, increaseth, the more it is restrained; and like an impetuous torrent, which hath broken its Banks, Oderuntque filios Israël Aegyptii, & affligebant, illudentes eyes. Exod. 1. v. 13. Atque ad amaritudinem perducebant vitam eorum, operibus duris luti, lateris, omnique famulatu, quo in terrae operibus premebantur: Exod. 1. v. 14. it extends itself in a prodigious manner. This was the occasion of the mortal hatred the Egyptians conceived against all this Nation. This was also the cause, why the Amenophits, newly ascended on the Throne of Pharaoh, fearing to be carried away with his people by this Inundation, established merciless Officers which used the Hebrews like Galleyslaves, giving them neither truce nor repose, in their painful and dishonourable employments, wherein they would have perished with hunger, thirst, and toil, if God had not preserved and rendered them, as I have said, more vigorous and strong than before. This was the cause, Dixit autem Rex Aegypti obstetricibus Hebraeorum, etc. Exod. 1. v. 15. Praecipiens eyes: Quando obstetricabitis Hebraeas, & tempus p●rtus advenerit, si masculus suerit, interficite eum, si foemina, reservate. Exod. 1. v. 16. Timuerunt antem obstetrices Deum, & non fecerunt juxtà praeceptum Regis Aegypti, sed conservabant mares. Exod. 1. v. 17. Quae responderunt, non sunt Hebraeae sicut Aegyptiae mulieres; ipsae caim obstetricandi habent scientiam, & priusquam veniamus ad eas, pariunt. Exod. 1. v. 19 why this young Tyrant resolved to stifle children, issuing forth of their Mother's Wombs, and to force away Fruits, even in their Bud, because he could not destroy their Fathers; and since these Trunks were too deeply rooted, to be plucked up. To this effect, he caused the Midwives of Egypt to be brought before him, and commanded them cunningly to kill all the Male-childrens of the Hebrews, and to save all the Females, when they should assist their Mothers at their Labours; but God did not permit so horrid a cruelty: For these women, no less good than prudent, detested so execrable and brutish a design; and notwithstanding all the edicts and threats of Pharaoh, they resolved to preserve the Male-childrens, though with the danger of their own lives: Whereupon, being interrogated, they answered, That the women of Judea were not like the Egyptians, and that they knew the art of their discharging their Womb, without calling any one to their aid. Some other expedient must be found publicly to thunder out a fury which could not be concealed. All Passions have degrees and ways to arrive unto excess, and amongst others Fury is a Ball of Fire, and riseth from the bottom of the Water, which is enkindled in the Cloud, and afterwards grown great, it thundereth, it lighteneth, and at length makes a hideous noise, to reduce into ashes all that it encounters. There is nothing more furious than a Tyrannical power, which fears some danger: It is a Lion which casts himself against Javelins; it is a Dragon which flies into the midst of Flames; a Tiger which seeks his life and prey in the bosom of Death; and a Comet which apprehends least these shining vapours, and these beautiful Exhalations which form its Diadem, may find their last dissolution. It is no wonder then, if Pharaoh fearing the Israelites, Praecepit ergo Pharao omni populo suo, dicens: Quidquid masculini sexus natum fuerit, in flumen proficite, quidquid faeminini reservate. Exod. 1. v. 22. and failing in his project of stifling them in their Mother's Wombs, resolved, for the execution of this cruel Design, to make use of the most merciless of all the Elements, which will one day demand Justice, and complain for having been the Instrument of so many Cruelties. The River Nilus will raise her Waves, and her bloody Billows will accuse this detestable Pharaoh, who commanded his Subjects to drown all the Male-childrens which should be born of the Israelites, and suffer the Females to live as uncapable of prejudicing him, and from whom the Egyptians might reap some benefit. This Decree than is published in all places, and it is executed at the cost of the lives of these poor Infants. It was indeed a strange spectacle to see the World drowned under the waters of the deluge; but Husbands at least had the company of their Wives, Fathers, and Mothers, held their Children by the hand, Servants of both Sexes followed their Masters and Mistresses, and enjoyed this consolation, being all Criminals, to receive a common punishment, and not to survive one another: But here Innocents' must be condemned to die, and Nurses are constrained to drown their Infants, or at least to see them violently taken from their Bosoms to be swallowed up by the Water, before they had tasted their Milk, or felt the sweetnesses of Life. Every where desolate Mothers, and despairing Fathers were heard, who looked upon Egypt as the Sepulchre of their Families, and of the name of Israel: But God remembered his promise, and permitted not this Nation, which in number was to equal the Sands of the Sea, to serve for food unto Fishes, and unto the Waters of Nilus. This sage Conductor of the people, whom he had taken into his protection, Egressus est post haec vir de domo Levi, & accepit uxorem stirpis suae. Exod. 2. v. 1. Quae concepit, & peperit filium, & videns eum elegantem, abscondit tribus mensibus. Exod. 2. v. 2. Cumque jam celare non ●osset, sumpsit fiscellam scirpeam, & linivit eam bitumine ac pice, posuitque intus infantulum, & exposuit eum in carecto ripae flumivis. Exod. 2. v. 3. in despite of Pharaoh's Edicts, raised up a Levite, called Aaron, who took a wife out of the same Tribe of Levi, who was delivered of a son incomparably beautiful, and who as a Sun was to pass through the Water without wetting himself. His Mother hide him for the space of three months, but this springing Star casteth forth so many lights, as at last she conceived herself unable any longer to conceal them in her house, and feared lest some body might chance to discover, and extinguish them. Now to the end this disaster might not happen, she resolved to expose him on the Banks of Nilus, unto the mercy of the Waves, in a Basket made of Bulrushes which she daubed with Bitumen and Pitch, with all the affection and industry a Mother could have for a Son. Behold, Stante procul sorore ejus, & considerante eventum rei, Exod. 2. v. 4. Ecce descendebat filia Pharaonis, ut lavaretur in flumine, & puellae ejus gradiebantur per crepidinem alvei, Quae cum vidisset fiscellam in papyrione, misit unam è samulabus suis, & allatam aperiens cernensque in est parvulum vagientem, miserta ejus ait: De infantibus Hebraeorum est hic. Exod. 2. v. 5. & 6. the trial of Love, and an abandonment which would have appeared inhuman, had not merciless necessity enforced it; and if this prudent Mother, who with horror looked on the Tomb of her Son, had not placed her eldest Daughter as a Sentinel, who with her eyes and spirit, conducted her Brother, who floated in this little Vessel; when behold, Pharaoh's Daughter coming with some Attendants, which descending on the Bank of the River, perceived this Cradle which stopped on some Moorish ground. At the same time an happy curiosity incited her to send one of her Maids to see what it was. I know not who was this fortunate Handmaid which had this Commission, but she brought unto her Mistress the little Vessel, in which was enclosed the Honour and Prosperity of the people of Israel. Yet at first there only appeared a child weeping, in its swaddling clothes, and whose bare aspect moved compassion in this good Princess, who perceived that it was an effect of her Father's Edicts, C●i soror pueri: Vis, inquit, ut vadam, & vocem tibi mulierem Hebraeam, etc. Exod. 2. v. 8. and some remnant of Egypt's misfortune. The Sister then of this found Infant, who expected nothing less than such an encounter, asked whether they would think it fit for her to bring a Nurse for him: Respondit: Vade. Perrexit puella, etc. Exod. 2. v. 8. Ad quam locuta fi●ià Pharaonis: Accipe ait puerum istum, etc. Exod. 2. v. 9 To which the Princess having willingly condescended, she ran instantly to find the Mother of the child, who came as unknown to present herself; and to whom presently the Daughter of Pharaoh gave the charge of nursing up this Infant. O God How profound are thy thoughts, and how impenetrable are they to ignorant and frantic souls? When will the day come, when thou wilt withdraw the veil which hides from us so many secrets? Children of men, poor Egyptians, blind people! Will you never open your eyes to follow the light of this sage Intelligence, which governs the World under his Laws? Is it not the part of a Fool to endeavour to stop the course of this Primum mobile, which moves the Heavens, and makes all the Elements to quake? Is it not to oppose Feathers unto the Waves of the Sea, and to the Thunders of the Air? Is it not to be more brutish, and less sensible than Beasts, which follow the instinct and conduct of their Creator? It is then in my Dominion (saith this Lord) all Beasts of the Forests abide, they are all mine, Sovereign Empire. and it is in my bosom, where I see every year the beauty of the Fields displaying itself. It is I who bear Riches and Honours in my hands, and who place Diadems upon the heads of Kings. All Temples than must be demolished, and all Altars razed, where we adore casual Destinies and frightful Fortunes, which yield nothing but smoke, obscurity, dread, and terror. For my part, Confidence in God. I had rather float in a Cradle of Bulrushes, and land at a good Haven, having God for my Pilot, his Providence for my Helm, his Power for my Mast, Hopes for my Sails, his Love for my Cordages, Faith for my Anchors, his Favour for my sweet Gales, and good Works for my Oars, than to bury myself alive in the midst of an Abyss, led by Pharaoh, and followed by an Army, which hath neither Assurance nor Hope, but on the Wings of the Winds, always light and mutable, in an Element ever perfidious, amongst unskilful men, and a thousand hazards, which blow in the Sails, and govern the Stern, during the course of so dangerous a Navigation. O my Saviour! I am but an Orphan abandoned by Father and Mother, forsake me not, be thou my guide upon the Billows, and in the Tempests of this life, my Watch-Tower in the midst of the Night, and my secure Haven during the storm. O my most sweet and most amiable Redeemer! do not abandon me, since I am thine both by Nature and Grace; at least place me under the protection of thy Mother, of thy Daughter, and of the Eldest Sister thou hast given me. It is enough for me to live in the favour of Mary, it sufficeth me to enjoy the least of her regards, to be eternally happy. Let us steer then, O my Soul, Let us steer against the current of the Water. Pharaoh loseth his labour; in despite of Egypt's rage, of Hell, and of all the Infernal Spirits, soon or late thou wilt land in the fortunate Island, where thou shalt be received into the Arms of the Queen of Heaven. Yes, Lot. my Soul, if thou dost dedicated thyself unto thy God, I promise thee a Fortune as glorious as that of this little Infant, which was exposed on the River Nilus, and who under the amiable conduct of his Sister Mary, happened to fall into the lap of a Queen, who adopted him for her Son. Where observe I beseech you, Quem illa adoptavit in bocum filii, vocavitque nomen ejus Moses, dicens: Quia de aquis tuli eum. Exod. 2. v. 10. That it was this Royal Mouth, which for a sign she had press rved him from the Waters, gave him this fair name of Moses, and caused him to be educted and taught at Court, with cares worthy of a wise Princess, and a good Mother. It was in this Noble School he learned all the Arts and Sciences which were then current in Egypt, that is to say, Geometry, Arithmetic, Astronomy, Music, and the most hidden Mysteries of the Hieroglyphic, in which were found all the rarest Secrets of natural Philosophy, Theology and Policy. Clement Alexandrinus also believed, that he then learned Physic, and the Civil Law. Philo adds over and above, that they called thither Masters out of Greece, as the best versed in the Liberal Sciences, and Chaldeans came by her appointment to teach him the way how to foretell things to come by the aspect of the Planets; as also Assyrians to teach him their cyphers and Characters. In fine, it is most certain that God poured his most beautiful Lights into his mind, and it was this great Master, who taught him the Command over Passions, and chief Meekness, Love, Affability, Liberality, greatness of Courage, and all the Virtue's requisite for a person who was to be Governor of the people of Israel, and the Lieutenant General of the Armies of the Omnipotent God. CHAP. II. The Zeal of Moses, and his Marriage with the Daughter of the Prince of Madian. THe fairest Virtues would be but bodies without a Soul, Planets without light, Excellency of Zeal and its Source. and extinguished Torches, if these generous ardours, and those bright irradiations which we call by the name of Zeal, and will give motion, light, and splendour unto the most holy Actions, were taken from them. God himself was pleased to take upon him the name of Zealot; and when he appeared unto the Prophet under the shape of a man, having one half of his body in a flame of fire, this was but an Image of the Zeal which inflames him. And it is for this cause, as I believe, Sophonius said, that the world shall be devoured by the fire of this Divine Zeal. Now it is out of this Furnace that Angels and Men have drawn vigorous flames which enkindled in their hearts a Zeal which all the waters of the Deluge could not have quenched; Viditque afflictionem corum & ●●rum Aegyptiacum percutientem quendam de Hebraeis fratribus suis. Exod. 2. v. 11. Cumque circumspexisset huc atque illuc, & nullum adesse vid●ss●t, percussum Aegyptium abscondit sabalo. Exod. 2. v. 12. and doubtless such a one was that of Moses, as he sufficiently manifested, when seeing an Egyptian who tormented his Brethren, and was a public enemy to his Nation, he resolved to take a just revenge on this Persecutor. It was God who put Arms into his hands, and this brave Courage feared no danger in undertaking a quarrel in which God, Nature, and Reason engaged him. This Zeal was neither rash, furious, nor interessed, but prudent, and grounded upon reason, and the public good: It was an Act of Justice by which he began to exercise the honourable office of a Judge, and Regent over the people of Israel. This generous and Magnanimous enterprise must not then authorize the liberty of certain Swordmen, Zeal of Ranters. who speak only of cutting off arms and legs. These commonly are a sort of people, as I conceive, who have courage and boldness enough to kill a man, who hath a Scarf over his eyes, and his hands bound behind him: But I am afraid, that in the scuffle, and in the midst of the Combat, upon a fair occasion, they will be seen with pale looks, and making more use of their feet than their hands. The courage of Moses was never of this temper, and these vaporing and boasting people draw no more advantage from it, Indiscreet Zeal. than those who desire to pass for Zelots, and who think, under pretence of Zeal, that every thing is lawful for them. These are indeed insupportable Tyrants, and very often all these flaming devotions, and these ardent Zeals, are but veils of indiscretion, pride, presumption, self-love, and a malignant humour which seeks to subject the whole world to their will, and to complete this, they make use of all sorts of weapons. This is not to be Zealous, but to show ignorance in the nature of that Divine zeal wherewith Moses was inflamed, to make its Frenzies, Furies, and most infamous Passions, pass under so fair pretences, and such specious Bills. Zeal always goes on four Wheels, that is to say, True Zeal. Justice, Fortitude, Knowledge, and Charity; and it is the Spirit of God which moves those Wheels, and is the Conductor of this Chariot. But you will ask me perchance, Timuit Moses & ait, quomodo palam factum est verbum istud? Exod. 2. v. 14. Cumque circumspexit but atque illuc, & nullum adisse vidisset, percussum Aegyptium abscondit sabulo. Exod. 2. v. 52. why then doth Moses fear, if God puts the Sword into his hand? Why doth he fly after so just and holy an exploit? and why doth he bury under the Earth a Trophy, which he ought to present unto the eyes of Pharaoh, and his whole Court? His fear is not servile, nor his flight unmanly and indiscreet: but he that had given the Courage to expose himself unto danger, bestowed on him counsel and means to avoid it; and besides, as St. Paul hath noted, Fide reliquit Aegyptum, non verilus animositatem Regis. ad. Heb. c. 1●. it was Faith, and not the fear of Pharaoh's indignation, which obliged Moses to leave Egypt. It was a Stratagem of the holy Providence of God, who would leave us this example for an Image of Courtly and worldly favours, which have their fluxes and refluxes, like the Sea, and where such an one is adopted to day to hold the Sceptre, who shall be to morrow disinherited, and chased away with dishonour: So that Moses, who after he had been treated as the Son of a Queen, is constrained to departed out of Egypt, and to leave the Court of Pharaoh, having no other Companions in his voyage but Miseries, Poverties, Contempts, and even Ingratitudes from those whom he had obliged. Behold this Favourite of the King, behold this person, who after his adoption could expect nothing but a Sceptre and Crown, abandoned and unknown in a foreign Country; behold him a Fugitive in the Land of Madian. Alas! what will he do? can it possible happen, that after his escape amidst the waves of Nilus, he should perish on the Earth, and on the brink of a Well? Is there not still some young Princess, who will take pity on him? and if such an one were found in Egypt who was pleased to be his Mother, hath not Madian some one who will be his wife and spouse? Moses tired with travelling, Moratus est in terra Madian, et sedit juxta puteum. Exod. 2. v. 15 Erant autem sacerdoti Madian septem filiae quae venerunt ad hauriendam aquevam, & impletis canalibus adaquare cupiebant greges patris sui. Exod. 2. v. 16. Supervenere pastors, & ejecerunt eas, surrexitque Moses, & defensis puellis adaquavit oves earum. Exod. 2 v. 17. Quae cum. revertissent ad Raguel patrem suum, etc. Exod. 2. v. 18. Responderunt, vir Aegyptius liberavit nos de manu pastorum, etc. Exod. 2. v. 19 At ille, ubiest? inquit, vocate eum ut comedat panem. Exod. 2. v. 20. Juravit ergo Moises quod habitaret cum co, accepitque Sephoram filiam ejus. Exod. 2. v. 21. Quae peperit ei filium quem vocavit Gersan, alterum vero peperit. quem vocavit Eliezer, etc. Exod. 2. v. 22. Post multum verò temporis mortuus est Rex Aegypti, etc. Exod. 2. v. 23. Et audivit gemitum corum, ac recordatus est faederis quod pepigit cum Abraham Isaac & Jacob. Exod. 2. v. 24. and weary with his journey, knows not whither to go; he is constrained to repose himself near a well, and expects like a flower scorched by the Sun, some breath of wind, and some drop of dew from the bosom and hand of him who nourisheth all creatures, and replenisheth all Hearts with benedictions. As he was in this expectation he perceived seven daughters of Raguel Prince of Madian, coming to water their flocks. But when these illustrious Shepherdesses had drawn Water for this end, some Shepherds, who followed them, were so bold as to attempt the taking some of it to Water their own. Then Moses not being able to endure so great an indignity, took upon himself the just quarrel of these Maids, and having chased away these presumptuous persons, he himself drew water out of this well, and gave it unto their Sheep, which was the occasion Raguel, who was presently advertised of what had passed, sent for him, to espouse unto him one of his daughters named Sephora, by whom Moses had two Sons, whose names served to leave a Monument of their father's fortune unto posterity. For the first was called Gerza, which signified the abode of Moses in foreign Countries, the other called Eleazar in remembrance of the favours God had showed him, taking him out of the hands and fury of Pharaoh, from whom in fine a long time after, death who spares no man, forced the Crown and sceptre of Egypt, which gave liberty unto the people of Israel to testify at least by their sighs and tears the violence and injustice of the slavery in which they had lived: for their Clamour having ascended unto heaven, he that is always propitious to those who earnestly call upon him, shown them that he had not forgotten the pact and agreement he had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. CHAP. III. Of the flaming Bush. THE office of a Shepherd was anciently a noble employment. The Apprenticeship of Empires. And Philo who hath been one of the most faithful Historians of the first ages, called it in express terms the prelude to an Empire, that is to say, to the government of men, which ought to be the most humane and most amiable of all others. This most wise and learned Author passed much further: for he believed that person could be only perfect in the art of ruling, who was a good Shepherd, and who governing flocks whose conduct is most facile, had learned how a man must behave himself in commanding those whose government is more difficult and important. It was then for this cause the first men of the world, The first shepherds of the world. and the most illustrious persons of the old Testament had this innocent employment, as if God would have them pass this apprenticeship, to render them capable of ruling this people, for whom he had a particular care. It was also for the most part in these employments which have less of Pomp and splendour than sweetness and repose, that God who delights in humility and peace, hath chosen humble and peaceable souls to give himself unto them, and make them both see and feel that it was his hand which had guided them in the fields and out of the noise and tumults, to the end their minds might be better prepared to hear and receive the laws and precepts which he intended to give them, and that the night and obscurity of a Country and solitary life, Moses autem pascebat oves Gethro soceri sui sacerdotis Madian, cumque minasset gregem ad interiora deserti venit ad montem Dci Horeb. Exod. 3. v. 1. Apparuit ei Dominus in flimma ignis de medior rubi, & videbat quod rubus arderet & non conbureretur. Exod. 3. v. 2. might serve to raise the lustre of that glory and dignity to which he had designed them. So when Moses went guiding the sheep of jethro, who was his father-in-Law, one day as he was in the thickest part of the desert, whether the feeding were better, or whether, as it is more probable, he had a desire to attend more sweetly to contemplation; having at length reached the top of Mount Sina called Horeb, he saw God in a fiery Bush, which nevertheless was not consumed in the midst of the flames. This was no illusion of the Understanding, The verity of the Bush. the figure of a dream, nor any fantastical image which appeared to Moses; But the second Person of the most holy Trinity, or at least some Angel who represented him. This fire likewise was a true and real fire, produced by a Divine breathing, and by an Angelical hand, which without breaking the Laws of Nature was able to draw this fire either out of Wood, the Air, or those stones which were about this sacred Bush. The respect nevertheless the fire bore unto a matter which it never spares, was not natural, there required a Miracle to stay the course of its activity; and the rigour of those flames which issued forth of the earth had not left this Wood unconsum'd, if He whose least glance inlightens the stars in the heavens, & without whom the Sun & Moon would remain in darkness, had not suspended for a while this active conjunction, and these fertile and powerful influences, without which creatures have neither life, motion, nor action. Now to understand what this miracle denoted, A fair subject of Enigma. we must presuppose that Fire hath been always a Symbol of the Divinity, not only amongst the Egyptians, Grecians, Chaldeans, and Romans, but amongst all other people of the Earth, who have not seen any thing more conformable & more resembling a most pure, Divine flames. subtle, simple and luminous Nature, living only in the splendours and flames which flow from its substance, than a most pure, subtle, simple Element, which hath no life, but amidst Lights and Ardours natural to it. It being so, this Enigma can have no other literal sense than this. This fire is the Image of God, and the flaming Bush a figure of the Israelites, whom these Divine flames kept in a gentle heat, where like gold in the Furnace, they might be purified, but not consumed. They that will otherwise explicate this Picture, may say, that this is. God clothed with our humane nature, & the Eternal Word, who is all fire, who cast himself amidst the Thorns and Brambles of a weak and mortal nature, which could not yet be consumed by the ardours of those flames which encompass it on all sides. Others, with Rupertus, Theodoret, and St. Bernard, will believe, that it was a figure of the blessed Virgin, whose Chastity, as a fiery bush, could not be violated, although she had brought forth him, who is nothing but Splendour, Fire, Light and Ardour. However it be, and what ever can be said of it, we must approach nearer unto it with Moses, and behold with a holy respect this Stupendious Vision. Cernens autem Dominus quod pergeret ad videndum, vocavit eum de medio rubi, & ait: Moses, Moses, qui respondit, adsum. Exed. 3. v. 4. At ill●, ne appropies, inquit, huc, solve calceamentum de ●edibus tuis, locus enim in quo stas terra sancta est, Exod. 3. v. 5. Et ait: Ego sum Deus patris tui, Deus Abrabam, Deus Isaac, & Deus Jacob. Exod. 3. v. 6. Abscondit Moises faciem suay, non enim audebat aspicere contra Deum. Exod. 3. v. 6 I hear already the voice of God, who calls this happy solitary person, and who in the midst of this flaming Pyle says unto him, Moses, Moses; Lord what is thy pleasure, answers this amiable Shepherd, Behold me ready to do all that thou shalt command. The sight of this Sacred Bush had surprised him, and given him a holy Curiosity to approach, and see it near at hand: But as he advanced, God said unto him, that the place where he set his Feet was Holy ground, that he must put off his shoes, and besides, He that had spoken to him, was the great God of his Father, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. At these words Moses remained so much astonished, and the sight of this Object ravished him with so sweet a violence, as he was enforced to veil his Eyes, too weak to endure the Splendour and Majesty of God, who seeing him so pliable and obedient, spoke to him as a good Father, who feels his heart touched with compassion for the miseries of his poor Children. I have, Cui ait: Vidi afflictionem populi mei in Egypto, etc. Exod. 3. v. 7. Et sciens dolorem ejus, descendi, ut liberem eum de manibus Aegyptiorum. Exod. 3. v. 8. Et educam de terra illa in terram bonam, & spatiosam, in terram quae fluit lacte & melle, ad loca Chananaei, & Hethaei, & Amorrhaei, & pheresaei, & Hevaei, & Jebusaei. Exod. 3. v. 8. Sed veni, & mittam te ad Pharaonem, ut educas populum meum, filios Israel, de Aegypto. Exod. 3. v. 10 Qui dixit ei, ego ero tecum, & hoc habebis signum quod miserim te: cum eduxeris populum meum de Aegypto, immolabis. Deo super montem istum. Exod. 3. v. 12. said he, looked upon with mine Eyes, and heard with my Ears the afflictions, sighs and groans of my oppressed people in Egypt. This makes me come in Person to help and deliver them out of the hands of those unmerciful Tyrants, who have a long time tormented them; I will now bring them into a fruitful and pleasant Land, into vast and spacious Countries, where they shall every where see Springs of Milk, and streams of Honey, which will sweeten the rigour of their past afflictions. In fine, having delivered them out of the hell of Egypt, I will give them Terrestrial Paradises for their abode, amongst the Chanaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Phierezites, Hevites, and Jebusites. For this purpose Moses was chosen to go unto Pharaoh, and God promised to be with him during the whole course of his Journey, and never to abandon him amidst all the dangers of so perilous a Commission: In token whereof Moses engaged himself, that at his return out of Egypt, after the deliverance of the People of Israel, he would offer unto him a Sacrifice upon Mount Sina. CHAP. IU. The Commission of Moses touching the deliverance of the people of Israel. IF we cannot easily find men who are capable of performing worthily the command of a King, that of God cannot be done, but by the mouth of him, who is not only his Word, and Speech, but his proper Substance; At least they ought to have in them for the Character of this Divine employment, as Clement Alexandrinus hath observed, a lively Image of the Divinity, and to be not only like him in Speech and expression, but even in thought and heart. They must have also such a spirit as Moses, of whom it may be justly said, what St. Gregory of Nice said of the Apostle Saint Paul, to wit, that his spirit was made for extacies, Gregor. Nys. Orat. de Occur. and elevated in raptures. Nevertheless this incomparable man excuseth himself, and the high thoughts he conceived of so eminent an employment obliged him to reply unto the Commandment of God. Lord what am I? Dixitque Moises ad Deum: quis sum ego ut vadam ad Pharonem, & educam filios Israel de Aegypto? Exod. 3. v. 11. Si dixerint mihi, Quod est nomen ejus? Quid dicam eyes? Exodus 3. v. 13. and how wilt thou have me speak unto thee? I am nothing, and thou art all that can be imagined, Holy, Great, Good, and Powerful. My Voice is too weak an Echo to cause thine to be heard, particularly in the midst of a Court, where scarce any ear is to be found which can endure the noise and breaking forth of thy Thunder; and then what wilt thou have me say unto them if they ask me concerning thy name? Assure them, God answered Moses, Dixit Deus ad Moisem: Ego sum qui sum ait: sic dices filiis Israel, qui est misit me ad vos. Exod. 3. v. 14. that I am he who am, that is to say, Eternal, Infinite, Immutable, Independent, and absolute over all Creatures. All that men admire in the World is nothing, and if a name be required for all that appears with the most Pomp and Splendour, they will acknowledge that it is to have no Being, and in effect, before the Creation of every thing they were not, and the day will come, when Greatness whose Being is corruptible shall be no more; And those whose Nature is not subject unto Corruption may cease, if God resolve to withdraw his conserving arm, and his hand, which makes them what they are. In fine, all that is, hath so many mutations and vicissitudes, that it can hardly rest a moment in the same state. God alone is what he is; And the Gentiles had doubtless learned the Divinity of the Hebrews, when they speak of it in so clear and true terms. Thales being asked upon this subject, made answer, That God had neither end, nor beginning, and that he was from all eternity. Parmenides held the same opinion, saying, That all was in an Being; We find almost the very same in the Timeo of Plato; and this was without doubt the mystery hidden under the veil of that ancient Statue which bore for Device I am, what is, what shall be, and what hath been, and whose cover no man hath taken off. All the Idols of Egypt, and of the world, are but of Marble, Wood, Iron, Brass, Copper, and at best but of Gold and Silver, which will find at length their last dissolution. The true God is, what he is. It is for this reason the generous Martyr St. Attalus being asked by the Tyrant, what was the name of him he adored, made answer, That such as were many in number, had need of it, to be distinguished from one another, but not he that was single. Moses might say then the same unto Pharaoh, from his God, and that he Who is hath sent him to him. The same God also commanded him to say unto the Children of Israel, Dixitque iterum Deus ad Moisen, haec dices filiis Israel: Dominus Deus patrum vestrorum, Deus Abraham, Deus Isaac, & Deus Jacob, misit me ad vos. etc. Exo. 3. v. 15. Vade, & congrega seniores Israel, &c Exod. 3. v. 16. Et audient vocem tuam, ingredierisque tu, & seniores Israel, aod Regem Aegypti, & dices ad eum, Dominus Deus Hebraeorum vicavit nos: ibimus viam trium dierum in solitudinem, ut immolemus Domino Deo nostro. Exod. 3. v. 18. that he was the Lord, and God of their forefather's, and that if they were the true Children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he would never forget those blessed Patriarches, to whom he had obliged himself for an Eternity, and that they themselves were bound to retain him always in their memory. After this, God again commanded Moses to go as he had appointed him, and to assemble the Ancients of the People of Israel, and to tell them that God, who had appeared unto him, was not ignorant of all that had passed in Egypt, that he would speedily visit and conduct them unto a delicious Country, and abounding in all sorts of goods and commodities. The orders of this Commission were as followeth; that Moses himself should present them unto Pharaoh, and advertise him, Sed ego scio quòd non dimittat vos Rex Aegypti, ut eatis, nisi per manum validam. Exod. 3. v. 19 Extendam enim manum meam & percutiam Aegyptum in cunctis mirabilibus meis, quae facturus sum in medio corum, posi haec dimittet vos. Exod. 3. v. 20. that the God of the Hebrews had enjoined them to offer sacrifices to him, and therefore it was his pleasure they should withdraw themselves three day journey off, for that end. Mean while God who knew that Pharaoh would not consent thereunto, advertised Moses of it; and said unto him, that in fine he would force him by rigour and the power of his arms, to permit them to departed. Now these weapons were no other than those of the misfortunes which befell this king, and constrained him to give liberty unto the people of Israel. CHAP. V The assured marks of Moses Power. THere is nothing more charming and more powerful to Captivate men than speech; Marvellous command of speech. chief when it proceeds from a mouth full of Authority. Nevertheless, there are some untamable spirits, and rebellious souls, who cannot be vanquished by these weapons, and to whom all these discourses at most serve but for some time to lull asleep their fury. This is sometimes seen in youth, in whom the heat of their Age, and the boiling of their blood, make so much noise, and stir up such dark tempests, that reason is there always as it were eclipsed. Oftentimes also there are persons of experience and Authority who adore only some old Error, and admit of no reason but the course of a long and depraved custom. It was not without cause that Moses so much feared to speak unto the Elders of the people, Respondens Moises ait: Non credent mihi, neque audient vocem meam. Exod. 4. v. 1. persuading himself they would not believe him, and that they would deride both himself and his discourse; but God made him see Prodigies which were to be infallible marks of his power over the minds of the most potent of his Nation. The first was the Rod he held in his hand which became a Serpent, Dixitque Dominus, projice eam in terram, prosicit, & versa est in colubrum. Exod. 4. v. 3. Daxitque Dominus rursum, mitte manum tuam in sinum tuum, quam cum misisset in sinum protullt leprosam. Exod. 4. v. 6. Retrahe, ait, manum tuam in sinum tuum, retraxit, & protulit iterum, & erat similis carni reliquae. Exod. 4. v. 7. Quod si nec duobus quidem his signis crediderint, neque audierint vocem tuam, sum aquam fluminis, & essunde eam super aridam, & quidquid hauseris de fluvio vertetur in sanguinem. Exod. 4. v. 9 and afterwards reassumed its former Nature. The second appeared in his hand, which he had no sooner put into his bosom, but it became Leprous, and afterwards returning into the same place, it became immediately like the rest of his body. This was done by the command of him who is omnipotent, and who by these miraculous effects would encourage Moses, and assure him, that those to whom he was sent would give Credit unto these prodigies. He said farther to him, that if they were so obstinate as not to believe him, he was to take water out of the River Nilus, and that it should be infallibly changed into blood. Behold strange Metamorphoses, that of the Rod into a Serpent, and of the Serpent into a Rod, signified three very different states of the people of Israel in Egypt. The first was whilst Joseph lived, during whose life they had possession of the Rod, that is to say, the Sceptre and government of Egypt. After that follows the death of this great Patriarch, and from that time all these poor people were detested by the Egyptians, and like so many Serpents which crawled on the Earth. But at length the time will come, when Serpents shall be turned into Rods, and be powerful in the hand of Moses. The second Metamorphosis by the hand of Moses signifies only the various afflictions of the Hebrews, and the different alterations of their fortunes under the government of this wise conductor. The third of the waters of Nilus, did foretell the death and swallowing up of the Egyptians, under the bloody and murdering waves of the Red Sea. Notwithstanding all this, Moses persists in excusing himself, Alt Moses: obsecro Domine, non sum eloquens ab heri & nudius tertius: & ex quo locutus es ad ser vum tuum, impeditioris & tardioris linguae sum. Exod. 4. v. 10. and useth his best endeavours to discharge himself of an employment, in which he foresaw so many difficulties, and whereof he esteemed himself so uncapable. He represented unto God the trouble he had to express himself, and how that since the very hour he had the honour to speak unto him, he could hardly draw one word out of his mouth. Lord saith he, I am as a Child who can form but a confused sound between his lips: And my tongue is so heavy, and fat, as I cannot speak a word without stammering. Ah what! God answered him, Dixitque Dominus ad eum, quis secit os hominis? aut quis fabricatus est mutum & surdum, videntem & caecum, non ego Exod. 4. v. 11. am I not he who hath form men with my own hand, and put words into their mouths? and is it not I who renders them deaf and dumb at my pleasure? Yes truly, it is God who discovers thoughts even in the most intricate minds; It is he, who moves and animates the tongues of Children, and there needs but a breathing from his mouth to give life, motion, and voice unto the most insensible bodies. These virtues are too well known, At ille, obsecro, inquit, Domine mitte quem missurus es. Exod. 4. v. 13. Iratus Dominus in Meisem ait: Aaron frater tuus Levites, scio quod cloquens sit, etc. Exod. 4. v. 14. Loquere ad eum, & pone versia mea in ore ejus. Exod. 4. v. 15. Virgam quoquc hanc sume in manu tua. Exod. 4. v. 17. Abiit Moses, & reversus est ad Iethro Socerum suum, dixitque ei, vadam, & revertar ad fratres meos in Aegyptum. Exod. 4. v. 18. and I am astonished at Moses, who persists notwithstanding in his demand, and who conjures God to send in his place the person whom he is to send: Now it was doubtless the Messiah, whom he meant, but the happy moment in which he should be born was not yet arrived; and it had been to break the orders and decrees in Heaven to desire absolutely at that time the grant of this request. God also grew angry with Moses, and resolving no more to hear his complaints and excuses, he was content to say unto him, that his brother Aaron should serve him for interpreter, to declare his will. From that time Moses took the Rod in his hand as God had commanded him, and then he took leave of his father-in-law, to return into Egypt whither he carried his wife and Children. It was upon the way God appeared to him the second time, Dixitque ei Dominus revertenti in Aegyptum; Vide ut omnia ostenta quae posui in manu tua, sacias coram Phara●ne; ego indurabo cor ejus, & non dimittet populum. Exod. 4. v. 21. Ecce ego interficiam silium tuum primogenitum, Exod. 4. v. 23. and where he advertised him of the future obduration of Pharaoh's heart; and that after so many signs, he should persist in his obstinacy, and in the design of detaining the Children of Israel. It was also commanded him to carry unto this unfortunate Prince, the first news of the death of his Eldest Son, which was to be the last dart of the revenging Justice of God, and that which was to open the eyes of Pharaoh, and to mollify his heart for some time. In some part of Moses Journey into Egypt, Cumque esset in itinere, in d●ersorio, occurrit ei dominus, qui volebat occidere eum. Exod. 4. v. 24. he was met by an Angel, who offered to kill him with the Sword he held in his hand. Rabbi Solomon, who had a wit more inventive for a Romance, than a true one for a History, would induce credulous minds to believe, That this Angel had appeared under the shape of a Dragon, and that he had devoured Moses, even to the place of the Body where Circumcision was wont to be applied. The two Eusebius' of Caesaria and Emissene, believed, That the cause why God threatened and afflicted Moses, was for having brought his Wife with him, the which might vilify his Mission, and render it suspected unto the Hebrews. But that which followed, renders the conception of St. Isidore of Damietta, of Rupertus and Cajetan, more probable, who believed, That it was done to punish the disobedience, and the too long delays of Moses, to whom he had given command to circumcise his Children: Gen. 17. v. 12. Tulit illico Sephora acutissimam petram, & circumcidit praeputium silii sui. Exod. 4. v. 25. For presently his Wife desiring in some sort to repair this fault, and to withhold the hand of the Angel, took a Knife made of a Stone, to circumcise her Son: The which being done, she kneeled down, to mitigate the wrath of this Angel, who vanishing left the Husband and Wife in a sad astonishment; In such sort, as Moses was not able to speak a word, Vide Cajetanum. and Sephora beholding his eyes bathed in tears, and his hands red with blood, could not open her mouth, but to say unto Moses, That in truth he was her Husband, but a bloody Husband; Et ●it: Sponsus sanguinum tu mihies. and whom she had, as it were, acquired by shedding the blood of his own children. Now from this example, Advice to Parents. all Fathers of Families should learn to obey the Will of God, and testify their Zeal and Piety, not only in their own persons, but also in the person of their Children: Above all, they must take a Knife into their hands to cut off all that is impure; And if men be therein less manly, that is to say, less generous than their Wives, it is their part to take up Arms, and as I have already said upon two or three occasions, not to spare either Fire, Sword, or Blood; provided, it be done with Prudence, Counsel, and Piety. CHAP. VI The Embassy of Moses, and of Aaron into Egypt. TO the end God may be obeyed, when he commands, Necessary Obedience. we must march when he sets forth, and we ought not to be silent when he puts words into our mouths to speak by his order. King's hold their Sceptres from him, and all their Power is but a flash of light which issueth from this Sun; without which, all Thrones, Empires, and Crowns, would have neither lustre, Post haec ingressi sunt Moses & Aaron, & dixerunt Pharaoni: Haec d●cit Domirus Deus Israel, dimitte populum meum. Exod. 5. v. 1. At ille respondit: Quis est Dominus, ut audiam vocem ejus, & dimittam Israel? Nescio Dominum, & Israel non dimittam. Exod. 5. v. 2. nor resplendency. Moses and Aaron then need not fear, to appear in the presence of Pharaoh, and to say boldly unto him, That he who is their Lord and God, commands him to restore Liberty unto his people: But who is this God, saith he unto Moses and Aaron, of whom you speak? For my part I know him not, and in despite of him I will detain this people which you demand of me. He doth much more; for he heaps punishment upon punishment, and orders these poor people to be used with more rigour than before. Now as it is the custom of the miserable, Occurreruntque Moisi & Aaron, qui stabant ex adverso egredientibus à Pharaont; & dixerunt ad eos: Videat Dominus & judicet, quoniam foetere secistis odorem nostrum coram Pharaone, etc. Exod. 5. v. 21. and of those that suffer, to complain of every thing, and oftentimes to make even those the Authors of their afflictions, who endeavour to procure their good; so the people of Israel began even to murmur against Aaron and Moses, as if the design of their coming-in had been to increase their sufferings. There is nothing more cruel, and less supportable to a good soul, than Ingratitude: It is the justest occasion can interrupt the current and continuation of a Benefit, and not wholly to stop it, we must seek constancy in God, who alone hath power and goodness enough to oblige even the most ungrateful persons. It is also to him Moses addresseth himself, and it is into his bosom he makes an amiable discharge of all his thoughts. Alas! Reversusque est Moises ad Dominum, & ait: Domine cur afflixisti populum istum? quare misisti me? Exod. 5. v. 22. Ex eo enim quo ingressus sum ad Pharaonem, ut loque●er in nomine tuo, afflixit populum tuum, & non liberasti ●os. Exod. 5. v. 23. Lord, saith he, why dost thou permit the oppressions of thy people? And if I be not able to bring them relief, why hast thou sent me rather to exasperate, than comfort their Afflictions? After this loving complaint, God discovered himself fully unto Moses, to give him a more assured mark of his love. Go from me, saith he, and know, that I am that Adonijah whose name is ineffable, and whom the quickest and most piercing eyes, do not discover but amidst obscurities. Yes surely: For it is only under the veils of Faith, and through the clouds which cover the Sanctuary, God can be known. Blindness of Humane Wisdom. We must be guided by his obscure Clarities, or God himself must inform us who he is, otherwise we shall be the Disciples of Aximenes, who will swear, That God is but Air which spreads itself to an Infinity; others will follow Democritus, who adored no other god than Fire; or else Anaximander, who had no other Divinity but the Stars; or Diogenes, who ascribed unto him a Body of Wind, animated with Reason; or Chrysippus, who fastened him to a cruel destiny; or Parmenides, who made him to be a Circle to surround the Heavens; or Stratonicus, who sacrificed all his Loves unto Nature; or Epicurus, who amazed himself to form a god of Atoms; And in fine, some others would side with Varro, Cleanthes, and Anaxagoras, or some other Dreamers, who never knew the true God of Moses; and though his Name be ineffable, and his Essence incomprehensible, yet we cannot be ignorant of his Power and Goodness. CHAP. VII. The Obduration of Pharaoh 's Heart. NAture cannot give unto men, Finite Power of Nature. but what is within her sphere; and as her power is finite, so she can only give them finite and limited Presents. God alone, to whom all is possible, can only bestow Favours on us which are not common, and it belongs only unto him to convert Glass into Silver, Straws into Gold, and to make Gods of Men, if he so please. He did it once by uniting two Natures in one and the same Subject, and making God, Man, who is God no less than himself. But without speaking of this Mystery, which is not to be paralleled, was but once done, God hath been often pleased to make men gods, to whom without communicating his Nature, he hath imparted to them his most illustrious qualities, and chiefly the power he hath over all created things, which is properly to make gods on earth, or at least men, who are Demi gods. In this manner Saint Basil was the god of the Emperor Valens, Saint Ambrose of the Empress Justinia, Saint Athanasius, and Saint Hillary of Constantine, and in the first Ages Elias of King Achab; but this glorious Title was given unto Moses by a particular privilege●, Dixitque Dominus ad Moisen: Ecce constitui te Deum Pharaonis, & Aaron frater tuus erit Propheta tuus. Exod. 7. v. 1. Fecit itaque Moses & Aaron sicut praeceperat Dominus. Exod. 7. v. 6. when God from his own mouth established him for the God of Pharaoh, and when at the same time he gave him his Brother for a Prophet. Presently after, this God, and this Prophet, I mean this Moses, and his Brother, who were instructed what to do, and concerning what was to happen, returned unto Pharaoh; and there Moses shown him prodigies which were evident tokens of the power God had given him. First; Tulitque Aaron virgam coram Pharaone, & servis ejus, quae versa est in colubrum. Exod. 7. v. 10. Vocavit autem Pharao sapientes, & maleficos, & secerunt etiam ipsi per incantationes Aegyptiacas & arcana quad●m similiter. Exod. 7. v. 11. Projeceruntque finguli virgas suas, quae versae sunt in dracones. Exod. 7. v. 12. having cast upon the ground the Rod he carried in his hand, it became spotted with Scales, and changed into a Serpent, which after a thousand little wind, extended itself at its full length, and walked in the presence of Pharaoh, who being surprised therewith, and not knowing the cause of this prodigious change, assembled the wise men of Egypt, that is to say, the Enchanters and Magicians, who had a mind to do the same that Moses did: And in effect, after some Charms, shown Dragons; into whose shape, God had permitted them to Metamorphize their Wands, that it might appear what Magic could do, and how it deceives us by its Enchantments; as also to try the Constancy and Faith of Moses, and the Hebrews, who were present; and to teach us, That the Devil is but an Ape, who imitates and counterfeits Truth. Sed devoravit virga Aaron virgas corum. Exod. 7. v. 12. In fine, God permitted it to confound these Magicians; for all their prodigies, and all their little Serpents, were instantly devoured by that of Moses. Such is commonly the end and success of the Inventions and Masterpieces of the Devil; the beginning is always fair, the appearances have splendour, but they are but false Stars form in a Cloud, cyphers engraven on Sand, and in a word, Phantasms and Idols, which have nothing real but falsehood, or at least, what lasts but for a time. Histories are filled with examples which prove this verily: But to express what seems to me most important upon this matter, God, as I have said, often permits prodigious effects unto Cheaters and false Prophets for those reasons I newly touched. But that which astonisheth me the most, Prodigious effects of Divine Providence. is that he often times, and justly, makes use of them to harden hearts, and to blind certain spirits who are dazzled with the rays of the Sun, and shut their eyes against the splend ours of this beautiful Planet, to follow the smoke of a Torch of Sulphur and Rosin, carried by a Diabolical hand, and by some infernal spirit. Is it not a strange blindness, Dreadful obstinacy. and a frightful obstinacy when the voice of a Devil is preferred before that of an Angel, and when more belief is given unto the illusions of an Enchanter than unto the words and Actions of a God, and a Prophet? Pharaoh saw Moses, Et Clevans Virgam percussit aquam Fliminis coram Pharaone, & servis ejus, quae versa est in sanguinem. Exod. 1. v. 20. Et pisces qui erant in slumine, mortui sunt. Exod. 7. v. 21. who changed his Rod into a Serpent, and this Serpent taking the form of a Rod. He sees the waters of Nilus and Egypt, which being strucken by it, are converted into blood, and all the Fishes which die therein: He persists notwithstanding in his first design, and in stead of humbling himself under the Omnipotent hand of God, under the Rod of Moses, and at the sight of these bloody waves which glided along the River Nilus, and had caused the death of Fishes, as it were, to advertise men of the like disaster; he amuzed himself with the illusions of some Enchanters, who flattered him by showing him some Prodigy, or rather some false Mask drawn over these truths. However it be this miserable wrerch became like a Rock which derides a storm, Pitiful state of an obdurate heart. like a Diamond which cannot be broken, and like that famous Buckler which bore for devise I cannot be pierced; He was an insensible Colossus, who had Eyes and saw not, Hands and not able to use them, Feet though he could not walk, and who had a Heart environed with blunted Arrows, and Darts which could make no breach. Behold the true picture of Pharaoh's heart, The picture of Pharaoh's heart. which became so insensible amidst the Thunderbolts which God darted at it, that at last it remained as cold as Marble, and as hard as Brass, which all the waters of the Sea could not soften. This is the Lamentable state of a hardened Soul; where we must observe that God was the cause of it, as Moses said, not by fastening his heart with the Chains of a fatal necessity, nor by captivating it under the power of Devils, and of the Hell itself of this life: But first in permitting this obduration, and leaving the bridle free to him, who afterwards like a wild and unruly Colt had no other guide, but his own giddiness, fury, and impetuosity. Secondly, in staying the course of these Victories, and Conquering Graces, which create an amorous tyranny in us, and only granting him but some fruitless favours, without which a man would not have the power, either to undertake, or desire what is necessary for his salvation. Thirdly, in giving him Possessions, Glory, Empire and forces, which were like so many Bulwarks, in which this miserable wretch lives in security. Fourthly, God hardened him by the Miracles wherewith he solicited his faith, who following the malice of a corrupted and pernicious Will was dazzled at the sight of them; and by over-slight wounds, which did but tickle the rage and fury of this resolved spirit, in stead of exciting him unto penance, and imprinting in him some sense of Love, Obedience, and Respect. Now from hence spring the frightful sequences, Frightful sequence of obduration. and the sad appertenances of the obduration of those who become Rebellious to the Lights of Heaven, first they shut their Eyes, and stop their Ears, not to see or hear, when it concerns their salvation. Secondly, they triumph in evil, and iniquities are their most pleasing delights. Thirdly, the ordure of their crime cannot be cleansed, Scriptum stylo ferreo in ungue adamantino Jerem. 17. and their sin is like that of Judas, engraven with an Iron Pen upon a Diamantine lamen. Fourthly, the so are shameless people, Frons meretricis facta est tibi, noluisti erubescere. Jerem. c. 3. Considera opera Dei quod nemo possit corrigere quem ille despexerit. Eccles. 7. and whose foreheads have less sense of modesty, than that of common strumpets. Fifthly, they are incorrigible, and though God strike them, they yet deride all his chastisements, and then all the Counsels of men, all the complaints of their friends, and even the shame which reflects on their Parents and family cannot move them. Sixthly, they are full of contempts, disdains, coldnesses, and funestous railleries. Seventhly, they reside in the depth of the Abyss, into which they strive to draw all those that reach out their hands to help them. Eighthly, all their habits are so inveterate, that we may sooner change the skin of a Leopard, and the colour of a Negro, than the least of their humours. Whence it comes, that the measure of their iniquities is full, and after these persons have passed even into the last degree of blindness and impiety, they abandon themselves unto the desires of their hearts, Cor durum est quod nee compunctione, scinditur, vec pietate mollitur, nec movetur precibus, nec cedit minis, quin etiam flagell is duratur magis. Cor durum est ingratum ad beneficia, ad consilia infidum, ad judicia saevum, unverecundum ad turpia, inpavidum ad pericula, inhumanum ad bumana, temerarium ad divina, praeteritorum obliviscens, praesentium negligens, futurorum improvidum, etc. Bern. lib. de consider, ad Eugenium. and their reason becomes a slave to all the motions of their Concupiscence. In fine, saith St. Bernard, if any one will have an Epitome of all these miseries, and a picture to the life of an obstinate, inflexible and obdurate spirit, let him represent unto himself a heart which cannot be divided by the salutiferous waters of Compunction, nor heated by the flames of a holy Love, nor touched by the darts of Piety, nor made flexible by the allurements of an amiable entreaty, nor even affrighted by the horrors of the most dreadful threats. He is ungrateful for the greatest favours, he derides the Counsels which are given him, he contemns the Judgements of the best understandings, he forgets what is past, he neglects present things, and cannot foresee what will befall him. This impudent person is never ashamed even in the most infamous Actions; all dangers which make others tremble, render him more bold; and his insolence passeth yet farther: for he is timerarious even in what concerns God, and hath no more fear of him, than reverence towards men: whence it proceeds, that he would never cease to sin, if he did not first cease to live, and these terrors would never end, if Death did not set some bounds thereunto. Alas! what Death, what Life, what Man, what Devil, or at lest what heart of Man and Devil, can be imagined in so detestable a condition? My God give me then rather the heart of a Tiger, than so hard a heart, to the end if I cannot love thee with the heart of a man, I may take revenge on myself, with the heart of a beast, and make my heart the prey of my liberality; But if thy goodness cannot endure such a butchery, give me, O God, of my heart, a heart the most loving that ever was: Then will I immolate it to thee, and thou shalt be the Master of it for all eternity. At this instant than I Sacrifice my purest affections to thee; At this instant I will obey thy commands, and break for this cause with all creatures. This is to provoke, too long, the wrath of a Judge, to irritate the clemency of a Father, and to heap together a train of miseries, a treasure of anger and indignation. We must not then expect till the measure be full, till we be in the bottom of the Abyss, and covered with the dreadful obscurities of night, in which the torches of Love are extinguished, and the Lights of hope eternally put out. In fine, my God, burn, break, and consume my heart, for I choose rather to offer unto thee the flames and ashes thereof, than to see it insensible and incapable of loving thee. CHAP. VIII. The Plagues of Egypt. THe Law of Grace is not a Law of injustice, where all things are permitted, and where Vice remains unpunished. Witness the Cities which have been swallowed up in a night, and where the Elements have, as it were, conspired to consume places which served for retreats unto all sorts of impurities. Witness the Inundation of Ashes, the flames of Sulphur which issued forth of Mount Vesuvius about the year four hundred seventy and seven, in which Europe was almost absorbed for punishment of the Crimes wherewith it had been polluted, Vesuvius Campaniae mons exusta evomuit viscera, necturnis que in die tenchris omnem Europae faciem minuto contexit pulvere. and whose flames could not be washed away, but by a deluge of fire, a rain of Ashes, and a Hail-storm of Flints, which was seen, as Salvian relates, to come out of the bottom of this Mountain, as if it had rend itself, and vomited forth its bowels, to serve as an instrument unto the Justice of its God▪ Witness also that dreadful tempest which shook the whole Kingdom of Naples, Vide Patriarcham. and which happened in the year three hundred forty and three, under the government of Jane, the first of that name. All these chastisements nevertheless were but light, and rather threats than punishments, if we compare them with those which in the law of Nature, and in the written Law laid desolate the whole Universe, or at least the beautifullest parts thereof. Water began, and as it hath less respect in its disorders than the rest of Creatures, it spared but eight persons, who guided into the Ark the relics of the world. Afterwards Fire, which hath a more furious and violent nature than Water; fell suddenly upon four infamous Cities, where it left nothing but ashes and stench. Behold the first revenge God took upon sinners, and to speak according to the opinion of a Learned Divine of the Primitive Church, Jobius movachus in Bibliotheca Photii. These were the first Tremble of the Earth. The third was in the strange punishment of Pharaoh, commonly called The Plagues of Egypt, which happened about the time of that famous deluge which drowned in a manner all Greece, and those excessive heats which almost consumed the whole Universe. The number of these Plagues was Ten; a perfect number, and which denotes, That the punishment was to pass even unto extremity, since the offence had passed even unto excess. As for the place where these Plagues began, Fecit mirabilia in terra Aegypti in campo Taneos. Psal. 77. the City of Taniz, the Metropolitan of Egypt, was first strucken with it; the disease came first from them, as out of a fatal spring, which afterwards spread itself with dread and terror over the Lands of that Empire. I know not of whose hands God made use in this strange Ministry; nevertheless it is most probable, That he employed therein those Spirits of Fires and Flames, which are the Instruments of his Wrath, and the Executioners of his severest Vengeances. I cannot also determine how long they lasted, but following the Narration of Moses, it is credible, That their course was six or seven and twenty days. Wherein God manifested his goodness and mercy, in the greatest height of his Justice; for he might have destroyed all Egypt in an instant, and made a dreadful Sepulchre of this infamous Kingdom: But he thought good to cast his Darts one after another, and to show, That he was not only a Judge, but also a Father; and that he had not only the power and force to punish, but also the patience and sweetness to expect and mollify those who notwithstanding became more and more obstinate, as we shall presently see. CHAP. IX. The Waters of Egypt turned into Blood. IT is the ordinary course of the vengeances of Heaven, to punish sinners with the same weapons they use to assault it; And it is for this cause, First Plague. Quest. 19 in Exod. (as Theodoret observes) the River Nilus of which Egypt made a Divinity, and whose Crocodiles she also adored, was the first field of battle in which God gave them the first alarm, with the first combats upon the waves and Billows of blood which bore the Murderous colours of so great a number of Innocents' as had been drowned therein. Solinus. c. 35. It may be said, that then the Angel whom St. Apocalyp. 16. John saw in his Apocalyps, poured into the waters of Egypt that mortal vial in which was the bloody water of the wrath and indignation of God. The River Nilus, saith Artabau increased excessively, and its waves seemed to have so much sense as to complain and call for vengeance against the cruelties of Pharaoh, as also to recall into his memory, that he had spilt more blood than needed to make a great River. Now it was not only of a vermilion colour and purpled, Et elevns virgam percusit aquam fluminis coram Pharaone, & servit ejus, quae versa est in sanguinem. Exod. 7. v. 21. with some drops of blood, which had died the surface of Rivers and all ponds, but also all the waters of Egypt were turned into blood, which was the cause that all fishes died therein, not finding themselves any longer in their natural Element. This was indeed a Triumph worth of God and of his glory, Dixitque Dominus ad Moisen: dic Aaron, tolle virgam tuam & extend manum tuam super aquas Aegypti & super fluvios eorum ut vertantur in sanguinem. to see Moses at his bare word putting the miraculous Rod into Aaron's hand, and who having commanded him by order from his God to hold it over the water, he no sooner did it but instantly this body, though insensible, began to have sense in the quarrel of its Master, and testified by a change of Nature, and by a general corruption, that there is nothing in the World which ought and may not arm itself against creatures, when it concerns the interest of their Creator. No man ought then to wonder, if the water of Nilus and of Egypt takes the form of blood, if this blood putrifies, and if all the Fishes die therein: For God gins on the water to hold his justice-seat, and his Throne must be exposed under a bloody Canopy, and infectious vapours must be seen to rise under his feet, which are as the shadows of those horrors and crimes which have been committed by this people. It is said, Et fuit sanguis in totâ ter●â Aegypti Exod. 7. v. 21. Avertitque se, & ingressus est domum suam, nec apposuit coretiam hac vice. Exod. 7. v. 22. Feceruntque similiter malefici Aegyptiorum, in cantationibus suis. Exod. 7. v. 22. Foderunt autem omnes Aegyptii per circuitum fluminis aquam ut biberent. Exod. 7. v. 24 Impletique sunt dies septem post quam percussit Dominus fluvium. Exod. 7. v. 25. that a Diamond which hardeneth under Hammers and Anvils is broken with blood. The heart of Pharaoh is harder than the diamond, since being in the midst of a kingdom covered over with blood, it could not be softened; besides, he turned his Eyes from this verity, and that he might not hear the noise of this tempest, he retires into his House; there he strives to flatter the wound God nev●ly gave him, resting satisfied to have seen his enchanters who had done some such like thing, but instead of changing water into blood they should have done better to have changed blood into water, to quench the thirst of the Egyptians, who half despairing, digged pits about the River Nilus to seek for water to drink, and who would at least have died in this sad affliction, if God after seven days had not stopped the torrents of his wrath, and stayed the course of the Rivers of blood which poisoned and choked that miserable people. CHAP. X. The Frogs of Egypt. SEven days being slipped away, The second Plague. the Sky and the Waters of Egypt re-assumed their former Nature; But God at the same time manifested, that there were other weapons to assault the rage and fury of a man, whom Rivers of blood and slaughter were not able to satiate. Pharaoh then being obstinate, Et ebulliet fluvius ranas, quae ascendent & ingredientur domum tuam. Exod. 8. v 3. and refusing to consent to the deliverance of the people of Israel, though he saw his whole Kingdom swimming in blood; and although God had advertised him by the mouth of his Prophet, That he was even ready to besiege him in his House, even in his own Bed, and at his Table, with an Army of Animals, which would bear no respect, either to him or any of his subjects. In fine, Ecce ego percutiam omnes terminos tuos ranit. Exod. 8. v. 2. All Egypt was in an instant covered with Frogs, which swarmed in so great numbers, as every drop of water, and every grain of earth, seemed to be changed into these troublesome Creatures, whose croakings were so piercing and continual, as they gave neither truce nor repose. Josephus adds, Meats infacted. That the waters became again corrupted, and that they fell even amongst their meats, which were so much infected by them, as men could scarce find wherewith to eat or drink. Which makes me believe, that this kind of Frogs was not only of those green ones which are commonly seen in the water, nor of those which Pliny calls Calamites engendered in Meadows and Moorish grounds, but that there were others which are termed BushFrogs, bearling on their heads certain horns, Eccerunt autem & malesici per incantationes suas similiter, eduxeruntque ranas super terram Aegypti. Exod. 8. v. 7. and which are full of venom. This torment than was very cruel, and almost remediless; For though God permitted the Enchanters of Pharaoh to imitate this Prodigy, yet all they could do, served but to increase the noise and multitude of these little Tyrants who spared not man. This King who had not spoken one single word to obtain the cure of his first wound, Vocavit autem Pharach Moisen & Aaron, & dixit eyes: Orate Dominum ut auserat ranas à me & à populo meo, & dimittam populum ut sacrificet Domine. Exod. 8. v. 8. now made Supplications; and this proud man, who was so presumptuous and bold, as to demand the other day, who was this God of whom they spoke unto him, dares not now speak unto him without an Intercessor, is enforced to address himself unto Moses and Aaron upon this occasion. My Friends, saith he unto them, take pity, I beseech you, on me and my poor people, supplicate your God to free us from these troublesome Animals, and then I assure you, that I will dismiss all his people to offer Sacrifices to him. Dixitque Moises ad Pharaonem: Constitue mihi quando deprecer pro te, etc. Exod. 8. v. 9 Qui respondit, eras. Exod. 8. v. 10. Juxta, inquit, verbum tuum faciam, ut scias, quoniam non est sicut Dominus Deus noster. Exod. 8. v. 10. Et recedent ranae à te, & domo tuae, & à servis tuis, & à populo tuo: Et tantum in flumine remanebunt. Exed. 8. v. 11. Fecitque Dominus juxta verbum Moisi & mortue sunt vanae, etc. Exod. 8. v. 13. Congregaveruntque eas in immensos aggeres, & computruit terra. Ezod. 8. v. 14. Vide●s autem Pharao quod data esset requies, ingravavit cor●suum, & non audivit eos, sicut praeceperat Domius. Exod. 8. v. 15. We shall do, said Moses, what you demand; but to the end, you may not believe, That the promise I am going to make you, is grounded upon any other consideration than God, upon whom moments and hours depend; appoint the time, in which you desire I should give you satisfaction, and obtain of him for yourself, and all your Subjects, deliverance from this evil which afflicts you. Alas! Answers Pharaoh, Let it be to morrow, and no longer deferred. Well then, saith Moses, it shall be done, since you desire it; and to show you, that there is no power, nor greatness equivalent to that of the Lord, whom we adore; To morrew these little Devils shall raise their siege from your Territories, and there shall not any of them be longer seen but in the Water. In effect, assoon as Moses had offered up his Prayers for this end, all these legions died, and great heaps were made of them; from which, as Josephus and Philo assure us, there issued so horrid a stench, that it even poisoned the whole Country. But the Senses of Pharaoh were still so stupefied, that, as it is credible, he understood nothing; for he did not doubt to do as he had done before, and was not asnamed to falsify the promise he had made unto God and Moses. This is just the custom of those who make Vows and Promises during their sickness, and afterwards when they are in health, think no more of it; but God derides their Sacrifices, and all their Prayers serve but to enkindle the fire of his Indignation. CHAP. XI. The Flies of Egypt. Pisidius in his Hexameron is ingenuous, The third Plague. when he Arms Frogs like resolute Soldiers, and Flies also, as so many Forlorn Hopes, who go to make war against Pharaoh, and his whole Court, and even in his Bed, and on his Throne. In truth, we would not have easily believed, that Heaven had an intention to triumph over the Pride and Cruelty of a Prince, with squadrons of Flies, and legions of Frogs, which notwithstanding form the first Armies of the Great God of Battles; Et extendit Aaron manum, virgam tenens: percussitque pulverem terrae, & omnts pulvis terrae versus est in sciniphes per totam terram Aegypti. Exod. 8. v. 17. and the force he employed to render himself Master of all Egypt, was also to fight him every where, and to assault him, not only in the water with a Naval Army, but also upon the Land, which was no sooner strucken by the miraculous Rod of Aaron, but presently there appeared a great Army of Flies, which arose like those Whirlings which are framed in the Air by Wind and Dust. This Accident might at first seem ridiculous, Ridiculous Appearances. or at least so unconsiderable, that there would need but one puff to make it vanish: But these little Hobgoblins multiplied so fast, and they caused their stings to be felt with so much violence, as it was presently visible, that a hand more than Humane had ordered these Battalians, and inspired so bloody an ardour into all these Animals. Some one will perchance say unto me, what the Fly itself said in the Moral Discourse of the Slave enfranchised by Augustus, to wit, That they have neither shame, nor respect; and that they spare neither Men, nor Beasts, nor Princes more than their Subjects: But these Flies were so troublesome and furious, and they fed with so much eagerness on Pharaoh, Aben. Sir. and the Egyptians, that the Hebrews made a Proverb of them, calling all those who lived in the World on blood and slaughter, The Flies of Egypt. They entered, saith Philo, even into their Noses, into their Eyes, into their Mouths, and it seemed, as if Hell had vomited them forth as so many Devils. Nevertheless, Digitus Dei hic est. Exod. 8. v. 19 Feceruntque similiter malefici incantationibus suis, ut educerent sciniphes, & non potuerunt. Exod. 8. v. 18. it was an effect of the right hand of the Omnipotent, and even in the sight of the Magicians of Egypt: It was the Finger of God which had created them. All the effects also of their magic could not produce the like, nor shoot such Arrows and Darts, as Heaven did at Pharach. O God How insensible then is this King? and must this Army increase to heighten his disaster? This was but the third Plague which I would fold up under the same title with the fourth, The fourth Plague. not knowing how to find terms or names peculiar enough, and which may clearly distinguish the one from the other. It is sufficient to know that God first assaulted Pharaoh by Rivers of Blood. Secondly, With Frogs, thirdly and fourthly with Armies of Flies. But the first which appeared, were, as some have believed, of a particular Species, and of which, none like them had been ever seen till that time. Albertus Magnus, 〈◊〉 lib. 16. de animalibus, It a describit sciniphes. Albertus' the Great, affirms, That these kind of Creatures had Wings and Heads like Flies, and Bodies like little Worms, with a sting in their mouths, which they darted like a Javelin, chief into the softest, and the most humid parts of the Nose, to draw and suck thence the most subtle and pure Spirits of the Head. Whatever may be said thereof, surely these were Flies of a miraculous kind, which, as Philo and Origen say, were most offensive and cruel; yet their stings did not pierce deep enough into the heart of Pharaoh, but it was further requisite to assail him with new Battalians, to see whether he would yield. It is true, That God might have raised Bears, Leopards, and Panthers against him, as well as Flies and Frogs: But it is for men to require great forces to supply their own weakness, whereas he that can do all of himself, hath need of nothing; and the most vile and meanest Creatures in the World, are able to do all things with him. Pharaoh having again then refused to permit the people of Israel to departed, Induratumque est cor Pharaonis, & non audivit eos, sicut praeceper at Dominus. Exod. 8. v. 19 Ecce ego immittam in te omne genus muscarum. Exod. 8. v. 21. Faciamque mirabilem in die illa terram Gessen, in qua populas meu● est, ut non sint ibi muscae. Exod. 8. v. 22. Vocavitque Pharaoh Moisen & Aaren, & ait eyes: Ite & sacrificate Deo vestro in terra hac. Exod. 8. v. 25. Et ait Moses, non potest ita fieri: Abominationes enim Aegyptiorum immolarimus Domino Ded nostro: Quod si mactaverimus ea quae colunt Aegyptii coram eyes, lapidibus nos obruent. Exod. 8. v. 26. God besieged him the fourth time with all sorts of Flies; so that Egypt was full of them, except the Land of Gessen, where those Hebrews lived who were exempted by a particular privilege from God; who would distinguish his people from the Egyptians, and evidence unto them both, that their good and bad estate proceeded from him. Whereupon Pharaoh commanded Aaron and Moses to come before him, and permitted them to Sacrifice upon his Territories, That they might appease the wrath of him, who so prodigiously afflicted him, and by such admirable chastisements; but they answered him, That they could not accept of this offer, by reason this were to expose the Hebrews to the hazard of their lives, and to be stoned by the Egyptians who abhorred the Sacrifices of Beasts, which were nevertheless the Victims whereof the people of Israel ordinarily made use. Nevertheless, the fury of these little Soldiers which wasted Egypt without relaxation, Dixitque Pharaoh, ego dimitiam vos, ut sacrificetis Domino Deo vestro in deserto. Exod. 8. v. 28. Et ait Moses: Egressus à te, orabo Dominum, & recedet musca à Pharaone & à servis suis: Verumtamen nols ultra sullere, utnon dimittas populum sacrificare Domino. Exod. 8. v. 29. Et ingravatum est cor. Pharaonis, ita ut nec hac quidem vice dimitteret populum. Exod. 8. v. 32. and chief Pharaoh seeing himself assaulted and assassinated by them on all sides, was at last enforced to give way to Moses going into the Wilderness, there to pay the duties of his Religion, and earnestly to invoke the goodness of God on his behalf. To which Moses consented, promising him, that this Cloud of Enemies, which persecuted him, should be quickly dispersed; upon condition notwithstanding he would no more deceive him, and retain his people: But the truce which followed, and the favour which was shown by the Prayers of Moses, was no other than a new occasion this detestable King took to abuse the Patience of God. CHAP. XII. The Plague and Ulcers. THe Plague is a fatal poison, The fift Plague. and pernicious to all Nature, which is engendered in the Body by the disorder of Humours, and by the mixture of the Air with certain putrified and infected Atoms, which we draw in and swallow in breathing, and so go directly to the Heart, which is the Fountain of life, and as the Hearth on which the natural heat is nourished, which this poison extinguisheth and consumes. Whence I conclude, Marciline Ficinus in Epidem. with one of the most learned Physicians, and most subtle Philosophers which hath ever been, That the particular causes of this disease are commonly, either the Defections of the Planets, and especially of the Sun and Moon, or their Conjunctions, as of Saturn and Mars, or the Malignant Impressions of Comets and certain Meteors, which pervert the qualities of the Air, and which by the sequel of some over hot, and moist Winds, or else by immoderate Rains, or from some other effects, of which they are the Origin, raise Seeds of Putrefaction and horrid Vapours, which impoyson the Elements, and all other Bodies, into which they insinuate themselves. Moreover, this Contagion may grow from too violent, and too immoderate excesses, in sleep or watch, in repose or exercise, feasting or abstinence, but chief from disorder, which begets in the Humours of the Body, the Passions of the Mind, amongst which Love is a Wildfire and Brand of Hell, which inkindles a thousand Inflammations, a thousand Coals, and a thousand Plagues. In fine, Particular causes of the Plague. There are many particular causes of the Plague; and France may boast, That she hath had Hyppocrateses and Galens who have even pierced the source of this disease; and all generally conclude that amongst all Maladies, this hath something I know not what of Divine: In a word, it is ordinarily the scourge of Heaven, of which, we must not often seek out other causes than God. And these were the Arms wherewith he made himself to be felt in Egypt, which became more insensible by the strokes of Aaron's and Moses Rod. Ecce manus mea ibit super agros tuos: Et super equos, & asinos, & camelos, & boves, & oves, pestis valde gravis. Exod. 9 v. 3. Et faciet Dominus mirabile inter poffession●● Israel. Exod. 9.4. I will lift up my hand, saith he, over the Fields of Egypt, and the Plague shall choke its Horses, its Oxen, and Sheep. And that which will be more Prodigious, the Heritage's, and the Flocks of the People of Israel shall receive no damage by it. In such a case, Remedies are useless, all the Aspects of the Planets are malignant, the whole Air is contagious, the most solid Meats corrupt, the best Wine is converted into poison, Purgations made of Saffron, Myrrh and Aloes prove mortal, all the Doses of Mithridate serve but to enkindle the fire, and all the fumigations of Incense, Juniper and Turpentine make but a gross smoke, which causeth blindness to march before death. In vain then doth Pharaoh, Unprofitable Labour. and his Enchanters strive to quench these Flames, because they are enkindled by a Hand which can in a moment consume the whole World, and after remake it just as it is; and it is this Hand which gives virtue unto Herbs, and without which, all Medicines are converted into poison. Behold the Hand of God, Mortuaque sunt omnia animantia Aegyptiorum. Exod. 9 v. 6. and who ever would know the force and rigour of it, let him see, how in one day it makes a bloody Butchery of all the Animals which are found in Egypt. This was the fift Plague of Pharaoh. The sixth which followed, The sixth Plague. happened in the same manner. God commanded Moses and Aaron to fill their hands with Ashes, Et dixit Dominus ad Moisen & Aaron: Tollite plenas manus cineris de camino, & steterunt coram Pharaone, & sparsit illum Moises in coelum, factaque sunt ulcera vesicarum turgentium in hominibus, & jumentis. Exod. 9.10. Videbatur unum ulcus à vertice usque ad fines pedis. Philo. Nec poterant malefici stare coram Moise propter ulcera quae in illis erant. Exod. 9 v. 21. and then to cast them into the Air, the which Moses had no sooner done, but presently after there was form in the Eyes of Pharaoh, and of all Egypt, as it were, a vast Cloud of Dust, which pouring down itself, and falling on their Bodies, covered them with certain tumours, and with a general ebolition, which breaking the Skin, made the whole Body but as one great Ulcer, the smart and pain was so extreme, that the Magicians of Pharaoh, who had been strucken with it, could hardly remain in his presence: But notwithstanding all this, neither they nor their Master became wiser than before. CHAP. XIII. The Hail, Storms, Lightnings, and Thunders. Hist. Tripart. lib. 7. v. 22. THe Ecclesiastical History assures us, That three hundred sixty and nine years after the Birth of Jesus Christ, The seventh Plague. Lib. 10. c. 20. An. Dom. 406. there fell in Constantinople a shower of Hailstones, and that a while after there arose in the same City almost the like storm, which was doubtless a punishment for the Vices and Impieties, which insensibly rendered this famous Town a Moscho filled with horrors, and a Seraglio with the most abominable impurities: A long time after, Lodovic Clavitellius, fol. 260. the City of Cremona was beaten with Hailstones, which were as great as Hen-eggs; and scarce hath an Age passed since this dreadful Tempest which fell in the Country of Bolonia, during which, a great Rain of Blood was seen, with so frightful a Hail, Idem An. Dom. that each stone was found to weigh one and twenty pound. Now it is not to be doubted but such effects, commonly speaking, and as they usually happen, cannot proceed from any natural cause, but we should speak like Atheists, in denying, That he who at the end of the World shall cause Hail, Snow, and Thunder, to march before him as Messengers of his Wrath, did not before make use of them in several Ages, either to intimidate or punish his Adversaries; and consequently, that he form them in an instant as great Prodigies, which spring from a supernatural source. Such was then the Hail which fell upon the Land of Egypt, in so great a quantity, and with so much violence, that all that chanced to be in the Fields were strucken by it, Pluitque Dominus grandines super terram Aegypti. Exod. 9 v. 23. Et percussit grando in omni terra Aegypti cuncta quae fuerunt in agris ab homine usque ad jumentum. Exod. 9 v. 25. and there was neither man nor beast which could save themselves from it. This was the seventh scourge of Egypt, and that wherein God especially began to cause the rigour of his Arm, and the weight of his Hand to be felt. Go then again unto Pharaoh, saith he unto Moses, and let this inflexible person learn to bow under my Laws; for I am resolved at his cost to make my Power and Authority thunder out, to the end, it may be every where known, that I am his Lord and God. At the same time, the hour was suspended for punishment. The next day, at the prefixed time, and in the same moment which had been appointed, the Air began to melt into so prodigious and thick a Hail, Et Dominus dedit tonitrua, & grandinem, ac discurrentia fulgura super terram. Exod. 9 v. 23. Tantaque fuit magnitudinis, quanta ante nunquam apparuit in universa terra Aegypti. Exod. 9 v. 24. Et grando & ignis mista pariter ferebantur. Exod. 9 v. 24. that Egypt had never seen any thing like it: That which rendered the accident more dreadful and strange, was the noise of Thunder, and the frightful mixture of Air, Fire, Lightnings, and Rain, which made throughout this unfortunate Country an Abyss of horror and misery. I leave you to think what dread and affrightment must this Prince have, who had enkindled all these fires, and raised all these storms over his own head, and that of his subjects. Alas! How frail are the Sceptres of this World? how weak is the splendour of Crowns? and how little resistance have Thrones? since there needs but one furious clap of Thunder, but one deluge of Rain, one Lightning in the Clouds, one Wind, one Storm of Hail, one Exhalation, or some Vapour, to ravage, to destroy, to drown, to bury in a Tomb of Ashes and Flames, all these proud Colossuses, and those vain Idols which men use to adore. Nevertheless, Videns autem Pharno quod cessasset plavia, & grando, & tonitrua, auxit peccatum. Exod. 9 v. 34. Nec misit filios Israel, sicut praeceperat Dominus per manum Moisis. Exod. 9 v. 35. albeit Heaven is always armed with Fires, Flames, Thunders, Lightnings, and Thunderbolts against Egypt and Pharaoh; yet all these Tempests did only shake this Rock, but could not overthrow it; for scarce did the calm appear, but presently this hardened Spirit reassumed his former designs, and, as if nothing had passed, he continued to retain the people, to whom God nevertheless was willing to give Liberty. CHAP. XIV. The Grasshoppers of Egypt. BEhold, saith Rupertus, Rubertus hic. what are the Armies of the God of Pharaoh, Frogs in the Van, Flies in the Main-body, and Grasshoppers in the Rear; Fourth Plague. but to speak truth, all those prodigious Squadrons would have been very weak, if he that form them with his own hand, had not marched in the head of all these Regiments. Now it was with a Southern hot and stifling wind, Ego ind●cam cra●l custam in Fines 〈◊〉 q●ae operiat sup● crem terrae. Exod. ● v. 4. these last battalions were raised, composed of Grasshoppers, in so great number that Egypt was wholly covered and wasted by them. I know that entire Provinces and Kingdoms have been infected by such creatures, and if Pliny speaks truth, some of them have been seen in the Indies three foot long, and in so great abundance, that the Sun was shadowed by them: Italy and Africa also have been very often tormented by them, and the Cyreneans had a Law which obliged them to war thrice every year against Grasshoppers, first breaking their Eggs, then stifling them when they were disclosed, and in fine pursuing them on all sides, when they were hatched. For the same reason there was an Ordinance in the I'll of Lemnos, by which every inhabitant was enjoined to bring every year a certain Number of them, which he was to kill with his own hands. Deorum ira pestis haec esse intelligitur. P●inius. However it were, this Author said true, when he calls this sort of Animals, a Plague and scourge of Heaven: for this was a Mortal wound which Pharaoh felt no less rigorous than death itself. And when he saw himself on all sides assailed by them, Corrodat enim omnia ligna quae germinant in agris. Exod. 10. v. 5. and that they did gnaw even into the substance of Trees, he conjured Aaron and Moses to ask in his behalf a deliverance from this mischief, 〈…〉 〈…〉 Aaron, & 〈…〉 precavi in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, & 〈…〉. Exod 10. v. 16. Seit nunc dimi●te peccatum 〈…〉 〈◊〉 Domilium 〈…〉 ut 〈…〉 mo●tem 〈◊〉. Exod. 10. v. 17. Cruel perfid ousness. which he styled death, confessing afterwards that he acknowledged his fault, and most humbly demanded pardon for it. Alas! how often do we promise to forsake our Errors, and never more to provoke the wrath of God? how often do we say during Sickness, Health will afford Remedy to our sins? we weep upon our beds, we beat our breasts, we ask pardon, we call the Saints of Paradise to our aid. O strange! God, who sees the heart far from a perfect resentment, and a generous repentance, seems nevertheless to be moved at the noise of these sighs and tears, and of all these disimulations; His goodness cannot be wearied, and his clemency enforceth him to hear and grant at last the petitions of a Just man who prays for some Reprobate. Behold Moses imploring God for Pharaoh, Egressusque Moises de conspectu Pharaonis oravit Dominum, Exod. 10. v. 18. Quo flare fecit ventum ab occidente vehementissimum, & areptam locustam projecit in mare rubrum. Exod. 10. v. 19 he knows that the Graces his divine Majesty shall impart unto this impious person will fall uneffectually into his heart, like dews upon some Rock, and that quickly after, this Apostate will return unto his former ways. It imports not; Moses no sooner raised his Arm, and stretched out his Rod over Egypt, but instantly a cold, moist, and Western wind happened to blow with so much violence, that it carried away all the Grasshoppers into the Sea. CHAP. XV. The Darkness of Egypt. MY God Magna sunt enim judicia tua Domine, & menarrabilia verba tua, etc. Sap. 17. v. 1. said Solomon, I confess that the depth of thy judgements is incomprehensible, and that the height of thy thoughts is rather understood by silence than discourse: It is yet the stone of scandal, and the most fatal Rock on which Faith is very often seen to suffer a dreadful shipwreck, and reason remains yet insensible, though it beholds on every side a thousand prodigies, and a thousand miraculous effects, which might serve as a Watch-Tower to guide it into a secure Haven. Nothing seems to be beyond the reach of an incredulous mind, and Egypt at present can hardly believe what it cannot conceive. This blind Nation would willingly attribute unto Chance, or at least unto Nature, the punishments which are laid on them by the Great God of Heaven. But it is no wonder to see a people following the example of their King. I am more astonished at this obstinate Prince, who notwithstanding all these still bleeding wounds, and by which he saw all his Subjects slain, could persuade himself, That no force was able to constrain him to release these poor people, which he detained in a most unjust Captivity. The Thunders and Lightnings of Heaven had but dazzling Clarities, Extenditque Moises manum in caelum, & factaesunt tenebrae horribiles in universa terra Aegypti tribus diebus. Exod. 10. v. 22. Nemo vidit fratrem suum, nec movit se de loco in quo crat. Exod. 10. v. 23. Vbicumque autem babitabant filii Israel, lax erat. Exod. 10. v. 23. Digni quidem illi career luce, & pati carcerem tenebrarum, qui inelusos custodrebant filios suos, etc. Sap. 18. v. 4. Nam etsi nihil illos ex monstris perturbabat, transitu animalium & serpentium sibilatione commoti, tremebundi peribant, etc. Sap. 17. v. 9 which but slightly struck the eyes of his mind. It was requisite then to bury him alive in darkness, and make him a Sepulchre of one night, which lasted the space of three days. God commanded Moses to lift up his hand towards Heaven, and presently all Egypt was covered with such a thick and dreadful darkness, that it was even palpable, and this detestable Kingdom seemed to become a prison full of blind and paralytic men, who could neither see one another, nor move from the place in which they had been surprised. They were all Captives under the rigours of a holy Justice, which casting these Criminals under shades, furnished the Hebrews with lights, which were to conduct them unto Liberty. The Houses of Egypt were obscured with darkness, and resembled Tombs, in which they were imprisoned. Their punishment, saith the Wiseman, was suitable to the horror of those crimes, where with they were polluted in the obscurity of Caves, and Subterranean places where they thought to shun the sight of him whose eyes illuminate the purtest Clarities of the Heavens. In this dreadful state they were terrified by Spectres which flew before their eyes; they had sometimes the use of their sight to be affrighted by these tenebrous Phantasms; every where they were in fear, and followed by terrors, which troubled their guilty Consciences. They also heard dreadful noises, which made them even die with fear; Cum sit enim timida nequitia, d●t testimoniunt condemnationis: semper enim praesumit saeva, perturbata conseientia. Sap. 17. v. 10. Aliquando monstrorum ●xag●tabantur timore, etc. Sap. 17. v. 14. Et ignis quidem nulla vis poterat illis lumen praebere, nec siderum limpidae slammae illaminare poterant illam noctem horrendam. Sap. 17. v. 5. Apparebat autem illis subitaneus ignis, timore pl●nus; & timore pereulsi illius, quae non videbatur, faciei, aestimabant deteriora esse quae vid●bantur. Sap. 17. v. 6. Et magicae a tis apposici erant derisus, & sapientiae gloriae correptio cum contumelia. Sap. 17. v. 7. Illienim qui promittebant timores & perturbationes expellere so ab anima languente, by cum derisu pleni timore languebant. Sap. 17. v. 8. and the hideous shapes which were presented to them amongst these dreadful noises, so lively affrighted them, that for their last remedy, they desired nothing but Death. This horrid night could not be dissipated by the Rays of the Sun and Moon, and notwithstanding the fires which were kindled on all sides, nothing but black vapours appeared, which were so sensible, that men might even feel them; but the Lightnings which from time to time withdrew these black veils, represented to them such strange forms, that they then imagined to see what had never been. The most Learned were the most confounded, and the Diabolical Art of Enchanters found real matter for Humiliation. This infamous and proud Art appeared but mere folly, and the Errors of it better discovered themselves in that night, than in all the precedent days. The deceit of the Magicians was never more shamefully decried; For all the promises they had made to free Egypt from all sorts of diseases, were changed into confusion. The prodigious effects whereof they published themselves to be Masters, appeared chief in their astonishment, which was so excessive, that they scarce knew themselves: And as their eyes saw nothing but Spectres and Phantasms, their ears heard nothing but the cries and roar of Beasts, which contributed to their affrightment. In vain was it for them, to shut their eyes against all these Visions, their fancies were too full of these shallows, and they were, in a manner, constrained to see all the objects, wherewith the imagination could be disquieted. Behold the dreadful state wherein these infortunate people remained, during the excess of so horrid an obscurity, which lasted for the space of three days; and that which ought to appear more strange, was, That amongst these tenebrous Exhalations, and these shadows of Hell, their minds were even darkened, and their understandings became no less blind than their eyes. Briefly, they suffer both in Body and Soul such Convulsions and tortures, as cannot be expressed. una enim catena tenebrarum omnes erant colligati; sive spiritus sibilans, aut vis aquae decurrentis nimium, Sap. 17. v. 17. Aut sonus volidus praecipitatarum petrarum, etc. Sap. 17. v. 18. All that were shut up in this Labyrinth, resembled Galleyslaves tied by a chain of darkness, which held them as fast as if it had been of Iron. In this slavery, they were tied by invisible enemies, which the Wiseman describes under the figure of a Whirlwind, which grumbleth in the Air, or of a rapid torrent, which makes a Sea of the Fields, or of a Rock which cleaves, and is broken into shivers by the violence of a storm, with a dreadful noise, which continues until it fall into the bottom of some precipice. Now all this was but a rough draught, and a sign of the horrors, which after the expiration of some ages, and revolutions of the Sun and days, were to produce a night, which shall never enjoy light, and a general eclipse, which shall endure for all Eternity. Then all the Evening and Morning Stars shall be veiled, and the Inhabitants of Egypt, the obstinate Souls, and the hardened Hearts, shall feel nothing but animated Shafts and kill Darts, which the Eye of a just Vengeance shall cast in the midst of darkness, to mark out these destroying cyphers and Characters with more reason than they were heretofore engraven on the Gates of the Prison of a certain person, whom a sad and furious despair had transported to kill himself, after he had exercised all manner of cruelty on his own body. O night without day! O death without life, evil without remedy, torment without end, eternal darkness! But the Israelites, Sanctis autem tuis maxima erat lux, & horum quidem vocem audiebant, & quia non & ipsi eadem passi erant, magnificabunt te. Sap. 18. v. 1. the Children of light, and they that walked amongst the splendours of virtue and sanctity, shall have no share in this great obscurity; they shall enjoy an evershining brightness, and whilst the Egyptians shall howl like despairing men in the Abyss of their darkness, they shall magnify the ineffable grandures, and the most powerful bounties of him who is able at the same time to reward the innocent, and punish the guilty, and causeth the Sun to rise under the feet of Saints, whilst he inkindles his lightnings and comets over the heads of the wicked. Such will be the great day and night, full of horror and misery, in which light shall apparently decay, and ashes and dust shall ascend even as high as the heavens, there to form more beautiful and radiant planets than those which at present express their Pomp with so much magnificence and splendour. O my God be thou then the Sun of my Soul that I may go always increasing from one light unto an other, and that I may never be invelop'd in this night with the Egyptians, but that I may without limit, without measure, and without obstacle, enjoy those blessed aspects, and those luminous glances, which make the day of days and of eternity. CHAP. XVI. The Death of the Firstborn of Egypt. WE must acknowledge that the Philosopher who called Death the Centre of punishments, Timocles. and the last extremity of all evils, had as just reason, as that Prince, who after he had sought out all ways to terrify his people, who had taken up arms against him, resolved at last to have one great Skeleton carried in triumph, which held a Hand of Justice and a Sith, after which, and the sounding of Trumpets, an Herald was so clothed in black and covered with a large cypress veil wrought with Thunderbolts and crowned darts who proclaimed that this Queen was unpittifull, and that she intended speedily to make a horrid Sepulchre of a great kingdom. But this funeral pomp was not fully ended, when the most mutinous and most seditious appeared, who asked pardon, and esteemed themselves more happy to fall into the hands of a king who might chastise them without depriving them of life, than of a Queen who cannot punish but with death. It was, I believe, for the same reason Togaris the Physician of Leon the Armenian cured all the maladies and pains which extended not unto the dissolution of the body and soul. In effect, there is nothing so terrible and dreadful as death, and God himself hath never erected more tragic theatres than when he would cause this cruel Tyrant to march, which makes all the Catastrophes of life, and after many combats and actions at last destroys creatures without any possibility of their foreseeing the place or moment of their destruction. Hear then it is where after a war of all the Elements, War of all the Elements. and a duel of total nature against the Egyptians, these miserable wretches will find at length a revenging hand, which is ready to cut off the first fruits of their Marriage, and the most amiable delights of their family. Methinks I hear the Herald already pronouncing the sentence, and condemning the firstborn of Egypt unto death: It is Moses who speaks, or rather our Lord by his mouth; For he is but the Echo of his voice, and the instrument of his most holy and severest decrees. To thee Egypt, Media nocte ingrediar in Aegyptum. Exod. 11. v. 4. Et morietur omne primogenitum in terra Aegyptiorum à primogenito Pharaonis qui sedet in solio illius, usque ad primogenitum ancillae quae est ad molam, & omnia primogenita jumentorum. Exod. 11. v. 5. and to thee Pharaoh, God will manifest by this blow that he is thy God; that is to say, not only most good, but most just and most powerful; behold the last of dart of his wrath which is ready to be cast upon thy Palace and upon thy Empire, and then a sad necessity, and an extreme disafter will oblige thee to do by constraint what thou oughst to do through sweetness; when all Egypt shall be buried in a profound sleep, The Angel of God shall go into all houses and his revenging Sword will have no more respect for him who should one day ascend a Throne, and bear the Crown of a King, than for the meanest of thy vassals, or beasts, of which he shall choose the Prince to Sacrifice unto his indignation. But who could have ever painted out to us a face covered over with so many horrors, if after the first colours which have been laid, Moses the most learned and prudent of men had not been pleased to add some touches of his pencil unto this dreadful image? Cum enim quietum silentium con incret emnia, & nox in suo cursu medium iter haberet, Sap. 18. v. 14. Omnipotens sermo tuus de caelo à regalibus sedibus, durus debellator in mediam exterminii terram prosiluit, Sap. 18. v. 15. Gladius acutus insimulatum imperium portans, & stans replevit omnia murte, & usque ad caelum attingebat stans inter ram. Sap. 18. v. 16. It was even in the midst of the Night saith Solomon, that this ineffable Word, to whom all is possible, descended from the height of the Impyreall Heaven, and thundered over this abominable Land, which was chosen as the Theatre on which the bloody spoils of the rage and obstinacy of Egypt were to be seen. It carried a two edged-Sword, which transpierced on every side without pity, and this Sword was no other than this irrevocable decree which was as soon executed as pronounced in Egypt, filling the whole Country with horrors, desolations and deaths. The exterminating Angel went from door to door, and when any one door was found whose Threshold was not sprinkled with the innocent blood of the Lamb, he entered, and having drawn the curtains, and searched the beds in which the first born of Egypt reposed, he made upon their lives a bloody proof of God's indignation and wrath. In fine, There was no family in which they deplored not some Infant slain by this merciless Executioner of God's Decrees. This punishment was so universal, Neque enim erat do mus, in qua non faceret mortuus. Exod. 12. v. 30. that both Lord and Vassal mourned for the same accident, and therein the usage of the people differed not from that of their King. So that such as remained alive could not receive consolation from any person, since all had need thereof, and they could not rest satisfied, even with rendering the last duties unto their dead, so disconsolate they were; and their own grief joined with that of their Allies, Friends, and their nearest Kindred did scarce permit them to be attentive to their own misery. A more general and sensible desolation was never seen; for all this great and flourishing Empire did swim in tears, and almost in a moment all its hopes were seen extinguished in blood. Besides, all these disasters happened for no other cause, than for not having believed what was denounced to them, and confirmed by so many exemplary and prodigious Chastisements, wherewith they had been lately afflicted. Vrgebantque Aegy●tis populum ●exire de terra velociter, dicentes: Omnes moriemur. Exod. 12. v. 33. It must be granted then, that all these tribulations and punishments were the inevitable effects of the Finger of God; in this last misfortune, whereby the Egyptians saw themselves deprived of their Eldest sons, they could not deny, but that the Israelites were under the Protection of the Almighty, and from that time they promised to consent unto their departure. Behold the degrees, Degrees of Vengeance. by which Vengeance goes ascending even unto the height; we see some marks of it in the Clouds, which never break in pieces before they cast forth some Lightnings, which carry the first tidings of the approaching storm. Indications of a Tempest are also seen upon the Sea, and there is no description in all Nature, of God's Justice and Wrath, which hath not its peculiar place to arrive unto excess, and which doth not first give some wound, before it giveth death: But also when Threats have proved fruitless, and the Darts thrown by a gentle hand, served only to invenome the disease, and inflame the wound, Patience and Mercy, which are the faithful companions of Justice, retire; and instantly, the Heart, from whence a great stream of Milk was seen to issue, converts itself into a torrent of Gall; and the Hand which held Palms and Crowns, Darts nothing but Lightnings and Thunderbolts. Divine Justice resembleth that Dragon in the Indies, which first casts the Darts of his Teeth and Tongue, as so many little Javelins; afterwards he cuts and tears the Skin; and than if a man doth not give way to him, and cast himself at his feet, he kills and eats even to the bones. We must be then foolish, even unto madness, to oppose God. True Wisdom consists in rendering ourselves so plain unto his commands, that we must never so much as provoke his mildest Vengeances; otherwise we shall see ourselves at last assaulted by all sorts of enemies. The Air, the Earth, the Sea, Angels, Men and Beasts, will arm themselves to punish so unworthy a Rebellion. A fair subject of Meditation. Alas! My dear Reader, whatever thou beest, fix then a while thine eyes and mind upon this Scene, and do not expect till God afflict thee with the last of his Plagues: If thou art be-nighted, and under the obscurities of a dismal blindness, pass not even to those mortal darknesses, where the Stars are extinguished, and where after the death of the firstborn, we ourselves must die and be buried under the Billows of an Ocean, where no calm can ever be, and where we remain in a flux and reflux of such miseries as will never end. CHAP. XVII. The Paschal Lamb, and the departure of the Children, of Israel out of Egypt. IT was about the beginning of the night, A memorable Feast. in the midst whereof, there happened a general massacre of the firstborn of Egypt, that the Hebrews made that famous Feast, whereof the bloody remnants, and unfortunate spoils, served to mark on the side of their doors, and on their thresholds, the Safeguard of their whole Nation. It was on the fourteenth day of the Month, which they called Nisan, when the Moon was directly opposite to the Sun, and equally shared with him the Empire which they possess in the Heavens, that they celebrated this admirable Sacrifice, which was one of the most express and lively Figures of that which Jesus Christ presented unto his Father upon the Tree of the Cross. Now to know what order was observed therein, Loquimini ad universum coetum siliorum Israel, & dicite eyes: Decima die mensis hujus tollat unusquisque agnum per familias & domos suas. Exod. 12. v. 3. Erit autem agnus absque macula, masculus, annicutus. Exod. 12. v. 5. Et sument de sanguine ejus, ac po●●nt super utrum que postem, etc. Exod. 12. v. 7. Non comedetis ex eo crudum quid, nec coctum agnum, sed tantum assum igni, etc. Exod. 12. v. 9 Si quid residuum fuerit, igne comburetis. Exod. 12. v. 10. and what Ceremonies were used. First, God had commanded Moses to publish unto all his people, That on the tenth day of the Moon, of the first Month, every Family should have a Lamb in his house, and that four days after it was to be Sacrificed without breaking any part of his bones. Secondly, It was to be a Male, and not a Female. Thirdly, It was to be but a year old. Fourthly, It was to be without blemish or defect. Afterwards, the Thresholds of the Doors and Houses where this Feast had been kept, were to be died with his blood. It was also ordained, That this Lamb should be eaten, neither Boiled, nor Raw, but only Roasted with Unlevened Bread, and with Wild Lettuce, in such sort, as neither Feet, Entrails, nor Head must remain, at least, if any were left, it was to be thrown into the fire. Concerning the Ceremony which they obliged to observe at this Feast, Renes vestros accingetis, & calceamentu habebitis in pedibus, tenentes baculos in manibus, & comedetis festinanter. Exod. 12. v. 11. Erit autem sanguis vobis in signum in aedibus in quibus eritis, & videbo sanguinem, & transibo vos, etc. Exod. 12. v. 13. They all aught to be in a posture of taking a journey at their rising from the Table, and like Travellers to have their Reins girt, shoes on their Feet, and Staves in their Hands. The Law also enjoined this repast to be made in haste, and that every one should be careful to keep the blood of this Lamb, to mark the place where he lived; to the end, when God should pass about midnight before their doors, to destroy all the firstborn of Egypt; seeing this blood, he might pass further, and be touched with Compassion for the Afflictions of his people. But to what purpose were these marks, and this blood upon the doors? What! Can there be any thing hidden from him, who beholds in his Word; and in himself all that is, shall be, and hath ever been? This was then but a Sign, Representions of the Lamb. and an Image by which the Eternal Father was pleased to manifest, That whosoever should be marked with the precious blood of this Lamb, ought not to apprehend any danger. And truly, if the blood of Bulls and Goats, and if the Ashes of a Red Heifer, which were cast upon those who had contracted some uncleanness, had the power to absolve offenders, at least before the eyes of men, and if they put them in a condition to partake of the common Sacrifices with others; with how much stronger reason ought the Blood of Jesus Christ, who is the same Innocence, and hath been sacrificed for sinners upon the Altar of Mount Calvary, after he had given his Body for food, and his Blood for drink, to be more efficacious for cleansing our souls from all sorts of impurities. It is for this, he hath acquired the title of the Mediator of the New Testament; and in like manner, where the Old Law was confirmed by Ceremonies of Blood, it was only to prefigure what was to be done in the Mysteries of the New. Mysteries hidden under the Paschal Lamb. We must then only understand by the Banquet, and Sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb, the Sacred Mystery of the Passion, and the Adorable Sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist, in which the Lamb was masculine and young; that is to say, Constant and generous, though tender and delicate. He was without spot or slain, being the Ransom for all sinners, and his Bones were not broken to testify his strength and courage, which were not overcome by the rigour of torments. He was roasted in the Ardours of his love, and such only have eaten him boiled in cold water; who out of mere curiosity, without the flames of Charity, and the lights of Faith, or without Humility, have eaten him, and measured his Infinite Grandeurs, by the lownesses of their minds. Moreover, Septem diebus azymae comedetis; in die primo non erit sermentu●● in domibus vestris. Exod. 12. v. 15. This Lamb ought to be eaten with Azim Bread, without any mixture of Leaven. Behold an entry into the Feast of the Supper, where he ought to be taken with a pure Conscience, and a mouth which hath been purified by bitter Lettuces; that is to say, With dolorous tears, and waters distilled by the hand of penance. It is there where we ought to gird our Reins; for otherwise a God of Purity would abhor to enter into an unclean Habitation, into an unchaste Soul, and into a Body which serves for a retreat unto the most merciless enemies of Virtue and Chastity. We must have Staves in our Hands, and Shoes on our Feet like Pilgrims, which pass along and seek an abode elsewhere, than in a foreign Country, where we must quit all we have, or else either soon or late, be forsaken by them. Let us make haste then, and remember, An excellent thought. I beseech you, that this very day may be our Paschal, and our passage from Earth unto Heaven. What stays us in the World? our Parents will pass away, or else are already gone before. Our Friends are not here beneath; for the Earth hath none but infidel, perfidious, and envious people. In fine, All that is under Heaven remains in a continual vicissitude: The face of the Universe changeth every moment, and that which sparkleth the most, hath but marks of a vain appearance, which serve only to dazzle our eyes, and deceive our souls. Such then, saith St. Paul, as have wives, aught to live as if they had none; that is to say, Without being fastened unto any inordinate affection. Those also who sigh and groan under the weight of miseries, as if they had attained to the height of their desires and pretensions; those that are on the top of the wheel, as if they were under the feet of Fortune, and loaden with all afflictions; those that heap together riches, as if they possessed nothing; those that are engaged amongst Creatures, and are enforced to make use of them, as if they were severed from them, or as if the use of those Creatures were forbidden them. This concludes, my Brethren, That we must break the Chains which fasten us to any other thing than God; we must abandon Egypt, and departed out of this unfortunate Land, where nothing but Plagues, Deaths, and all sorts of horrors are seen. Happy are they who follow God and Moses in the thickest part of the desert, out of these tumults and dangers, Prosc●tique sunt filii Israel de Ramesse in Socoth, sexcenta fere millia peditum virorum, absque parvulis. Exod. 12. v. 27. which are so frequent in Cities and Courts. We cannot have more delightful company than his Elect, who go from Egypt into Ramasses, and from Ramasses into the Land of Socoth, almost to the number of six hundred thousand footmen, without reckoning women and little children, nor even the common people which can hardly be numbered. I leave you, my dear Reader, to reflect on all that passed in this illustrious Departure, and during this voyage which was, I believe, the most famous that hath ever been. Nothing but the echoes of their Songs of Victory, and of the Benedictions they gave unto their Redeemer, were every where heard, whilst their Tyrants howled like wolves from whom their prey is taken, or else like Ravens which croak upon some dead body. Moreover the convoy of the people of Israel was very rich and sumptuous: Dominus autem dedit grariam populo coram Aegyptiis, etc. for they carried with them the most precious moveables of Egypt as God had ordained them. And to this effect he had imprinted on their foreheads and upon their faces, I know not what marks of sweetness, and so strong and powerful attractives, or as St. Austin believed, Sed & vulgus promiscuum innumerabile ascendit cum eyes, oves & armenta & animantia diversi generis multa nimis. Exod. 12. v. 38. Coxcruntque farinam quam dudum de Aegypto conspersam tulerant & fecerunt sub cin●ricios panes azimos. Exod. 12. v. 39 Habitatio autem filiorum Israel qua manserunt in Aegypto fuit. quadringentorum trigenta annorum. Exod. 12. v. 40. Hanc observare debent omnes filii Israel ingenerationibus suis. Exod. 12. v. 42. Dixitque Dominus 〈◊〉 Moisen & Aaron: haec est Religio, omnis alienigena non comedit ex eo. Exod. 12. v. 43. Omnis autem servus emptititus circumcidetur, & sic comedet. Exod. 12. v. 44. Advena & mercenarius edent etit ex ea. Exod. 12. v. 45. Omnis caetus filiorum Israel faciet illud. Exod. 12. v. 47. such secret qualities, as thereby they gained the hearts and friendships of those who before were their persecutors; So that they desired them to burden themselves with their spoils, and to departed as it were loaded with the booty they had gained from their enemies, and pillaged after the victory of a most just war; which was also due unto them as a just recompense of their labours. They carried also with them Sheep, Oxen, and all kind of Beasts. Yet had nothing dressed and fit to eat, wherefore they were feign speedily to set their hands a-work, and cause that which they had brought with them to be baked upon Ashes. In fine, This night when God drew them out of the calamities of Egypt, and the bondage of Pharaoh, was the end of four hundred and Thirty years which they passed therein, and all the Children of Israel ought to observe it with a Solemnall worship throughout all generations. It was also for this cause God said unto Moses and Aaron, that such were the Ceremonies of the Paschal, and that no stranger, foreign Merchant, nor any mercenary Servant or bought with money could be admitted unto the banquet of the Lamb till after the establishment of the Laws for Circumcision; To the end there might be but one Law both for those of the Country and for strangers which were mingled with the natural Jews. All these conditions were most religiously kept and the Israelites omitted nothing of what God had given in command unto Moses; Feceruntque omnes sibi Israel sicut praececeper●t dominus Moisi & Aaron. Exod. 12. v. 50. Et cadem die eduxit Dominus fil●os Israel de terra Aegypti per turmas suas. Exod. 12. v. 51. And so on the same day the Lord drew them out of Egypt according to their Tribes prescribing to them all the laws they were to observe, ordaining them chief Sanctification; that is to say the offering of the first born as well of men as beasts, to the end by this Sacrifice they should have a living and animated occasion to recall into their memory the singular favours had been done them, when during the Murder of the Egyptians all theirs were preserved. CHAP. XVIII. Pharaoh Swallowed up in the Red Sea. THE belief of one God, Clemens Allexan. ●rom. 5. and the Evident demonstration of his justice are so inseparable as it would be more easy to meet with a spring without Water, a life without a Soul, and stars without rays, than a Sovereign nature which had not the power to punish sinners. This then is almost as much as to say, that there is one God and he is just. We cannot even understand the frightful terms, and the dreadful excesses to which his wrath may extend, when he once opens a passage unto those torrents of gall, and those Whirlwinds of flames which are the sad messengers, and merciless Executioners of his holy furies. Neverthe less we must observe with the Wise man, that his most rigorous Vengeances and most terrible judgements are wont to be Employed against those, who are the most Potent and Elevated in the World. The vengeances are eagles which commonly pour not down but upon the biggest preys, Exigno enim conceditur meseri cordea, potentes autem potenter tormenta patientur. Sap. 6. and Thunderbolts which seem to disdain the Cottages of poor men, to assault the Towers and Palaces of the greatest Kings. The sweetness of mercy is for the miserable, A thought able to affright. and the force of punishments is for the powerful. It is for this cause the Angels of the day and light were precipitated into eternal nights, and that Adam, though the first Monarch of the universe, was banished for ever from the habitation of delights, to live in an Abyss of Miseries and Calamities. It was for this cause, that proud Babel became the Sepulchre of those Giants who endeavoured to ascend even as high as the clouds; and it is in fine, for a trial of this self same verity that Pharaoh with all his Egyptian forces is ready to be swallowed up in the billows of an unexorable Element, Loquere filiis Israel: reversi castra metentur è regione Phihabiroth, q●ae est inter Magdalum & mare contra Beel●ophon: in conspectu ejus cast●a p●netis super mare. Exod. 14. v. 2. Phihaaroth, ex o●igine, regio tortuosa, Beelsephon canis Aeneus, ex Heb. & Rab. Solomon. V And icomium. Magdalum ●ebrai ce sonat turrem. Dicturus est Phara● super filiis Israel, coarctati sunt in terra, etc. Exod. 14. v. 3. which will open its waves to make a dreadful Sepulchre for this cruel and disastrous Tyrant, about whom the most holy sweetness and the most amiable patience of Heaven is wearied. Having then received news that the Israelites were encamped upon the side of a little hill situated between the Fort of Magdalin and the Red Sea, and very near Mount Beelsophon, which the Hebrews, and amongst others Rabbi Solomon, have feigned in their Fables to be agreat brazen Dog: He believed this was the best way to surround them; and that in fine, these Rocks, dungeons, and Seas, serve but for a large grave to bury them, and to extinguish for ever the name and memory of this people, which had occasioned to him so many misfortunes. He saw them at least in a Condition to die of Hunger and Thirst, after he had engaged them all in these bad passages, or reduced them to the Necessity of yielding, and returning unto the same Servitude out of which they thought themselves delivered: Sovereign conduct. But nothing being able to resist this wise hand which Levels the most rugged paths, makes straight all crooked ways, and arms invisible Troops, and the most powerful squadrons, went on conducting this Miserable Prince directly into the Abyss, where he intended to precipitate the Israelites; And the Labyrinth in which he prepares to enclose these fortunate Troops was the sepulchre of his life, and the unhappy Rock towards which his power and greatness advanced to be dashed in pieces. Poor Worldly men, unhappy Egyptians, you who bandy against heaven, and make war against the Almighty, Tulitque sexcentos currus electos, & quidquid in Aegypto curruum suit, & deuces totius exercitus. Exod. 14. v. 7. how weak are your designs, and how rash are your enterprises? whither think you to go with so great a train, with such a convoy, with so much Baggage, and so much noise? whither think you to conduct all these Instruments of horror and threats? Are you not afraid that the lightnings of Heaven, and the billows of the Ocean, will conspire against you? and that at length the same lot will befall you as unto Pharaoh, who being accompanied with his bravest captains, and followed by all the chariots of Egypt, went pursuing Moses and the Hebrews, Levantes filii Jsrael oculos v●derunt Aegyptios post se, & timuerunt valde. Exod. 14. v. 10. when these poor people no longer knowing on what side to turn themselves, and with an Eye of pity beholding their conductor, began to say unto him with weeping and trembling hearts. Ah Moses! Et dixerunt ad Moisen, forsitan non erant sepulcra in Aegypto, ideo tulisti nos ut moreremur in solitudine, etc. Exod. 14. v. 11. Nun iste est sermo quem loquebamur ad te in Aegypto dicentes, veccde à nobis ut serviamus Aegyptiis, etc. Exod. 14. v. 12. Et a●t Moses ad populum, nolite timere: state, & videte magnalia Domini quae factutus est body, etc. Exod. 14. v. 13. Dominus pugnabit pro vobis, & vos tacebitis. Exod. 14. v. 14. why have you brought us into this Solitary place? were there not Tombs enough in Egypt without coming to seek them in this desert? Alas! where are we? and did we not tell you, that it were much better to live in the service of the Egyptians, than to die in these savage places destitute of all humane Succours? Courage my Friends, answered Moses, you must fear nothing, for God hath determined to make his power appear in your favour, and all these Enemies which pursue you, are even ready to perish before your Eyes; and when you hold your arms across, and your mouth is closed, vengeance will Thunder over their heads, and Justice which hath a Thousand armed hands will destroy them in an Instant. In effect, as soon as Moses had lifted up his Eyes, his Mouth and Hands towards heaven, his voice and prayers made so loud an Echo, Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Quid clamas ad me? Exod. 14. v. 15. as God himself asked him, What moved him to such violent Clamours, though he were not ignorant of it; But he did this to excite him the more, and more strongly to invite him to pass the Sea. Where we must note with St. Austin, St. Jerome, Aug. Quaest. 52. Hieronym. in ps. 5. Chrys. de mul. ere Chanaan. and St. chrysostom, that the cries of Moses issued not so much from his lips and mouth, as from his heart and spirit, which without being intelligible unto men may be heard by God. Thus then did Moses cry out, speaking unto God, and his prayer, saith Josephus, was in this manner. O Lord, these Seas, and these Mountains are yours, and ready to obey the least of your Commands. They may suffer us then to pass; and it rests only in you, that we take our flight in the air like birds, and find a Sanctuary in every place where you shall ordain. Tu autem eleva virgam tuam, & extend manum tuam super mare, & divide illud, ut gradientio sibi Israel in medio mari per siccum. Exod. 14. v. 16. Ego autem indurabo cor Aegyptiorum, ut prosequantur vos: Et glorificabor in Pharame, etc. Exod. 14. v. 17. Et scient Aegyptii, quia ego sum Dominus, cum glorificatus fuere in Pharaone. Exod. 14. v. 18. Tollensque se Angelus Dei, qui praecedeba● castra Israel, abiit post eos, & cum co pariter columna nubis, etc. Exod. 14. v. 19 Stetit inter costra Aegyptiorum, & castra Israel: Et erat nubes tencbrosa, & illuminans noctem: ita ut ad se invicem toto noctis tempore accedere non valerent. Exo. 14. v. 20. No, no, Moses, saith God, March in the head of your Troops, and when you approach near the Sea, lift up your Rod, stretch forth your arm upon the billows, that you may cut them in two, and cause all your Company to pass over without wetting their feet. Meanwhile I will harden Pharaoh's heart, who following you, shall serve as a subject unto my Glory, to raise unto itself an eternal Trophy upon the sands of this proud Element, which must submit unto my Laws and Commands. Hence the Egyptians shall learn at their own costs, that I am an absolute Lord, and that when I please, I can make their Monarch, and their whole train become the miserable object of an eternal reproach. At the same time the Angel of God which conducted the people of Israel by a Pillar of fire during the night, and by a Cloud in the day, went to place himself between the two Armies, casting forth rays of light, and a pleasing shadow upon the Israelites, whilst it covered the Egyptians with a tenebrous night, and a thick darkness, which left them only some glimmering to follow their enemies, whom nevertheless they could not discern. Where we must observe with Rupertus, that this twofaced Pillar was a sparkling and tenebrous Image of that Justice which hath mortal obscurities for the eyes of the wicked, though it be most resplendent in the sight of the good. It was also a figure of the Cross of Jesus, which is a scandal to Atheists, and a reproach unto the Jews, whereas it is a glory and triumph unto Christians. In fine, Cumque extendisset Moyses manum super mare, abstulit illad Dominus slante vento vehementi, ac terente tota necte, & vertit in siccum, diviseque est aqua. Exo. 14. v. 21 Et ingressi sunt filii Israel per medium sicci maris: Erat enim aqua quasi murus à dextra eorum & leuâ. Exod. 14. v. 22. as this Pillar carried Light and Darkness conformable to the orders it had received, the Spirit which animated this miraculous body, divided the Sea in two parts, and made a large passage through the Waves, to cause all these troops to march in safety, which were ushered by a hot and violent wind which left not one drop of water upon the Sand. This was an admirable prospect, and a spectacle worthy the eyes and hand of Almighty God. And truly when did we ever see so many millions of men (without counting their baggage) passing from midnight till morning between banks of Crystal, and mountains of Water, where by means of the light and rays of this illuminated Pillar, a man would have sworn that there had been a thousand little Suns? But who hath ever heard since the time of Moses and Josua, that Seas and torrents have born any respect unto all those Conquerors who would cut in pieces even Demigods? Josephus. I know that some have endeavoured to make us believe, that the billows of the Sea of Pamphylia had shown the like for Alexander, but this is but a Fable, Strabo, lib. 14. and according to the relation of Strabo, Fortune was only favourable unto this Prince, in that he had the good hap to pass over before the arrival of the flux and reflux of the Sea. I have read also in Socrates, that a certain false Prophet born in Crect, Socrates lib. 7. hist. 37. during the reign of Theodosius, endeavoured to pass for another Moses, descended from heaven, and undertaken to conduct the Jews dwelling in the Island of Crect, through the midst of the Sea, even unto the Land of Promise, but having brought them upon a Promontory, and afterwards having almost drowned them all, he vanished, and made it appear, that he was rather an Angel of the Abyss, than of heaven, or rather a cheating Devil, than a Moses. Let us leave him then, and look upon this man, who having ranged his Tribes by companies, and in order, gins to lift up his hand towards the Sea, which at the same time made all these liquid bulwarks, and floating arches, it had suspended in the Air, to roll down, so that all the Egyptians, who had advanced too far, Et ecce refpiciens Dominus super castra Agyptiorum per columnam ignis & nubis, interfecit excrcitum corum. Exod. 14. v. 24. were swallowed up, with all their Chariots and baggage. The great God of Moses, and of the Israelites, having made use of this miraculous elevation of the Waves, to make for them a deep Abyss, and to erect a trophy for those who had but the Victims of their fury; It was also through the flames which form the Pillar of fire, Et subvertit rotas curruum, ferebanturque in prosundum. Exod. 14. v. 25. Dixerunt ergo Aegyptii, fugiamus Israelem Dominus enim pugnat pro eis contra nos. Exod. 14. v. 25. that the revenging looks of Justice gave them their last assignations, and that her hand overthrew their Chariots, and dismounted all their Wheels, to make a lamentable shipwreck of all this pompous and magnificent preparation which attended them. In fine, these blind people discerned that God was against them, and for the Israelites; but too late, Et ait Dominus ad Moysen: Extend manum tuam super mare, & revertantur aquae ad Aegyptios super currus & equites eorum. Exod. 14. v. 26. for when they thought to escape by flight, they perceived that the elements, and total nature had revolted against them, and that they could have no longer any refuge or retreat, but under the waves of the Ocean. Behold the end of the Vanities and Pride of this world; a little noise, and a little splendour, some threats, very few effects, and after all misfortunes, wounds, deaths, and particular or general defeats, produce afterwards nothing but the grief of some, Tragical revolution. Paulas Orosius lib. 1. c. 1. and the joy of others; and very often the forgetfulness, confusion, and loss of all. Orosius hath noted, that the wheels of Pharaoh's Chariots after this dreadful accident remained a long time, as it were, imprinted on the Sands of the Red Sea, as the execrable remnants and bloody marks which may serve for an example unto Posterity. Alas! Funcstous Catastrophes. how many relics of this nature are there in the world? how many Scaffolds have we seen covered with mourning? how many bodies pierced through with Swords? how many exiles? and how many fatal events which have often been the end of a tragical life, and the disgraceful marks of an exemplar death? have not Caesar's been seen murdered in the midst of the Senate? Nero's massacred by their rage and despair? a Cyrus beheaded by the command of a woman, and his head plunged in the blood he had so ardently desired? Hath not also an Alexander been seen passing as lightning, and who for this cause was drawn after his death by an excellent Painter, under the form of a shining Taper, which issued out of the womb of a Cloud, to vanish away at the same instant? Power of men, how weak art thou! Greatness, how little art thou! Ah what! Are these the bounds, measures, and heights to which all mortals aspire? hath impiety no other periods? And shall Abysses of water be the Monuments of Pharaoh? In truth, can it possibly happen, that the same Maximian, who sought to efface for ever the name and memory of Christians, should be strangled in the City of Marseilles? that Dioclesian who had been his Colleague in the Empire, and a complice in his designs, should be consumed with putrefaction, and eaten up with Worms? Is it Bajazet who served for a block to get up a horseback? Is it not the heart of Julian the Apostate which I see pierced through with a deadly Arrow? and the body of Valens which burns in flames? and that of Anastasius, who was as it were precipitated by a Thunderbolt into the bottom of Hell? Yea, Dreadful revolutions. behold the course and dreadful revolutions of all the Successors of Pharaoh: After this let it be asked where they are, and what is become of all these triumphant Chariots, these Armies, these People, these Tyrants with all their power. Down proud greatness, down these Sacrilegious enterprises, these blind furies, and these obstinate cruelties, which are more worthy of a Devil than of a man who hath any spark of reason. In fine, Pharaoh is drowned, this great Dragon is dead, his rage is satiated; he hath heard the voice of Thunder, and Thunder hath broken the wheels of his Chariot; He is no more, or at least is groaning and despairing in a Pool of Sulphur, in a Sea of flames, and in an Eternity of Punishments. Moses and the Israelites on the banks of the shore, and in a Paradise of delights make Canticles of joy, and Songs of triumph, to render thanks unto God for their deliverance. CHAP. XIX. The Canticle of Moses after the death of Pharaoh. IF the severity of this History did permit me sometimes to mingle with it one of those Consorts whose Laws and Rules are observed with Measure, Cadence, Rhymes and Pauses, and whose Charms flatter so much the most curious ears, that with air they nourish and entertain the most Critical minds: I must often make use of the voices of so many Swans which have taught our French muses the musical Airs of Judea and Palestine, in lieu of the profane Songs used in the world, and at Court. I might often borrow some Harmonies from so many choice spirits which every day cause that ancient Music to resound in the heart of France, which was first sung upon the Mountains of Zion, and in the holy Land: And I might at present make use of the sweet interpretation of those who have procured the Charming Echo of this famous Canticle to be heard upon the banks of our Rivers, which was sung by Moses near the Red Sea, after the deliverance of the people of Israel, and the general defeat of Pharaoh, and his Troops; But since the nature of the Style, to which I have engaged myself, doth not permit me to use this pleasing mixture, I will content myself with a pure and exact relation: Nevertheless before hand we must observe, In the first place, there was never any Choir of Music better ordered, or more complete. The Holy Ghost was the Master of it, and inspired Moses with all the Accents and words of this most sacred Consort. Secondly, Moses first and alone sung a Verse of this admirable Canticle, which before his time had never been sung: For the Hymns of Orpheus, Linus, and Musaeus, were not invented till three hundred years after, or thereabouts. Thirdly, Philo saith, that all the people answered the voice of Moses; Author lib. 1. de Mirab. Scrip. Apud Aug. c. 21. where we must take notice, with the Author of the Memorable things of the holy Scripture, that it was not without miracle, men and Children, and the rest of the people hearing every verse but once, did yet faithfully repeat the same after Moses, whose voice could not be heard of all. However it were, they spoke all with one heart and voice, or rather with millions of voices which came but from one and the same Source, and from a like Spirit which animated so many lungs and mouths. Let us sing, Cantemus Domino: gloriosè enim magnificatus est, equum & ascensorem dejecit in mare. Evod. 15. v. 1. Let us sing Victory: And let it be every where known, that it is the great God of Israel who hath freed us from Irons, and from the slavery under which we have so long groaned. He hath loosened our fetters, he hath broken our Chains, and thrown both Horses and Riders, Pharaoh and his Troops, Egypt and her Chariots, into the bottom of the Sea. Let his name be always in our mouths, his love in our bearts, and the remembrance of his favours in the Centre of our Souls. Dextera tua, Domine, magnificata est in fortitudine, dextera tua, Domine, percussit inicum. Exod. 15. v. 6. Now the day of his glory breaks forth in the midst of night, his power hath raised our weakness, and his goodness which he hath always showed us, hath triumphed over the malice of those who had designed our ruin. We must never seek then any other subject for our praises, and for all our songs of Victory, than this glorious Conqueror, who bears in himself all our hopes and salvation. He alone is our God, and the God of our forefathers; and for this cause he alone ought to be the subject of our acknowledgements, and the term of our Loves. Yes my God It is thou on whom all our tongues shall be still employed, all our hearts fixed, The term of love and acknowledgement. and all minds bend to proclaim, love, and adore nothing but thy Glory, and the Glory of thy Name, which is no other than that of the omnipotent Lord. Thou art the great God of Battles, the Conqueror of conquerors, and thou hast not disdained to arm thyself on our behalf. Thou hast also drowned this potent Army, which plotted our ruin, and thou hast given these Tyrants for food unto Fishes, and the waves of the Sea, who intended to make us the Victims of their fury. All of us have been witnesses of it, and there is not any one amongst us, who hath not beheld this admirable effect, and this great stroke of thy arm, which hath reduced into ashes and dust, the insupportable boldness of all our enemies. To this effect thou hast caused the astonishing terrors of thy dreadful wrath to march before thee, Et in multitudine gloriae tuae deposuisti adversarios tuos: misisti i●am tuam, quae devoravit eos sicut slipulam. Exod. 15. v. 7. Et in spiritu furoris tui congregatae sunt aquae, etc. Exod. 15. v. 8. Flavit spiritus tuus, & operuit eos mare, etc. Exod. 15. v. 10. thou hast raised storms and tempests, as the Messengers of thy indignation, and the spirit of thy holy furies hath suspended the billows, and heaped torrents upon torrents, to swallow up this insolent Nation. Those waves which had been a little before volatile and inconstant, were now without motion, and they all made a dreadful Vacuum to give us passage: But these dungeons of Ice, when our adversaries were so blinded, and presumptuous as to follow us, melted on their heads, and when they thought to enclose our Camp, all the waves tumbled down, and made of them but a horrid shipwreck. A more strange and Universal Shipwreck was never seen: For all the winds were dis-inchained, and the Sea being let lose, made but a great Sepulchre, and a deep Abyss to enclose them. Art thou also, O my God this Lord of terrors, and full of Majesty, whom Angels and men adore, and whom all tongues cannot praise, but by silence, and whom all understandings are not able to comprehend, but by ecstasy and astonishment? Subwersi sunt quasi plumbum in aquis vehementibus. Exod. 15. v. 10. Behold then these proud men in the bottom of the Ocean as leaden bodies, behold all these murderers who would make us pass through the points of their Swords, dying stifled in the water, and swimming perchance in their own tears and blood. The hand of God, Extendisti manum tuam, & devoravit eos terra. Exod. 15.12. whose magnificences are holy and terrible, hath given them a mortal wound, and death in the Abysses, hath devoured them. My God Dux fuisti in misericordia populo quem redemisti, & portasti eum in fortitudine tua, habitaculum sanctum tuum. Exod. 15. v. 13. These are thy ineffable bounties, and thy sweet mercies, which have conducted this distressed people whom thou hast delivered, and carried, as it were, upon thy shoulders, and by the strength of thy arm into this holy Sanctuary, this Land of Promise, and this Country of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, where one day Altars and Temples shall be seen built to thine honour. This than will be a happy passage for us, Irruat super eos formido & pavor, & in magnitudine brachii tui fiant immobiles quasi lapis, donec pertranseat populus tuus, Domine. Exo. 15. v. 16 and for other Nations a passage of horror and amazement. Grant then, O Lord! that at the entry into this desert, our enemies may conceive such a horror as may render them insensible, and unable to hurt us, until we are on the Land of Promise, and in our Country, where thou wilt plant us as flowers of Paradise, and as so many slips of immortality. Tune conturbati sunt principes Edom, robustos Moab obtinuit tremor: obriguerunt ●mnes habitatores Chanaan. Exod. 15. v. 15. Our Conquerors are already vanquished, and all strangers are affrighted. The Philistians already groan, all the Princes of Edom are astonished: Fear hath seized on the minds of the most Courageous, and the Inhabitants even of Chanaan are become as bodies without Soul or resentment. Fill them then with fear and terror, Dominus regnabit in aeternum, & ultra. Exod. 15. v. 18. whilst we shall advance with joy and delight into thy Sanctuary. Meanwhile reign in the Ages of Ages, and if it may be, even beyond Eternity: For in fine, Pharaoh is no more, and of all that he ever was, there scarce remains so much as the memory of it, and none but Mariners shall find some remnants of him upon the shore, and peradventure some prints of those Chariots, which shall be seen upon this sand, where he intended to erect his Trophy, his Throne, and his fairest hopes. When Moses and the Israelites had made an end of this Canticle, Sumpsit autem Maria prophetissa, soror Aaron, tympanum in manu sua, egressaeque sunt omnes mulieres post eam cum tympanis & choris. Exod. 15. v. 20. Marry the Sister of Aaron appeared like an Aurora which after a Tempestuous night takes her horn to sound the return of the Sun, and calm, and the retreat of the Stars, and the storm. This virtuous Dame having heard her Brother and the Israelites who had ended their Music, began another Consort, in which she was accompanied by Wives and Daughters, who answered the accents of her voice. But such a Feast was never seen; for all of them had certain little Drums at their girdles, which they beat dancing and singing, according to the manner of the Hebrews, with a zeal and modesty worthy of this Sex, which hath for its share purity and devotion. These are the two wheels of their triumphant Chariot, Impiety tamed. & the two arms which they used to overthrow the impiety and insolence of men and tyrants. These are the two eyes of their Souls, the Suns of their bodies, and the two greatest powers they can have even in their weakness. An impudent & wicked woman hath but the name of a woman; she is a monster in nature, and a spectre which hides under a human skin the Soul of a Maegera: But also when they have these two illustrious qualities, they are living miracles, and prodigies of beauty, The portions of Piety and Modesty. where the Angels themselves abide with a chaste and amorous respect. For piety gives lustre and attractives unto their Souls, and modesty imprints all sorts of Charms on their faces, then chief when these two Virtues are neither childish, affected, savage, rude, fantastic, light, proud, indiscreet, feigned, troublesome, babbling, stupid, malicious, nor insolent; but generous, solid, complacent, sweet, stayed, constant, humble, prudent, real, condescending, moderate, ingenious, and without any mixture of Gall and Poison. Then will they be Sirens, from whom nothing ought to be feared, and who may sing upon the banks of the shore, like Halcions, in the midst of the Sea, they may be seen in assemblies and meetings, where their hearts and most pure voices will say with the Sister of Aaron and Moses, and after the defeat of a lascivious and impious Devil of whom Pharaoh was the figure. Well then my faithful Companions, Quibus praecinebat, dicens: Cantemus Domino, gloriosè enim magnificatus est, equum & ascensorem ejus dejecit in mare. Evod. 15. v. 21. let us sing victory, let us sing together you chaste Virgins of Judea, happy Daughters of Zion, holy Souls, let us sing Canticles of joy, in honour of him who is our Redeemer; Lucifer is fallen from his Throne; The Dragon is swallowed up in the billows of the Sea, and all these Traitors, who intended to drown us, are overwhelmed with the waves, and where they thought to gather Laurels, and Palms, they found nothing but an harvest overspread with Cypress, and a vast Sepulchre in the bottom of the Sea, where they proposed to themselves toerect a Theatre of honour, and a field of Triumph. This, Cross Fortune. some will tell me, is a strange turn of Fortune: but to speak more Christianly, this is an admirable stroke of the Providence and Justice of God, which frustrates all the projects of the world, and of the wicked, to raise theatres unto virtue, and to place Crowns upon the heads of the virtuous, when they think themselves in a condition to be trampled on by their enemies. Not that, but sometimes, and very often, Wormwood and Gall are mingled with the most pleasing waters of their consolations, and with graces, which he is ready to impart unto them. And not to go farther to seek examples of this verity, Ambulaveruntque tribus dichus per solitudinem, & non inveniebant aquam. Exod. 15. v. 22. Et venerunt in Mara, nec poterunt bibere aquas de Mara, eo quod essent amarae: unde & congruum loco nomen imposuit, vocans illum Mara, id est, amaritudinem. Exod. 15. v. 23. let us stay a while in this desert, where the Israelites now are. All their enemies are drowned in the Sea, and they themselves have marched for the space of three days in this desolate place, finding nothing but bitter waters; and if nothing else happen, they will all die with hunger and thirst; In vain is it for them to murmur, if Moses worked not here a Miracle, I fear it must appear a truth, that the Egyptians are dead in the Sea, and that the Israelites will almost perish near a Sea, or in a place which hath nothing but Salt and bitter Waters, from which it takes its denomination. Alas! where then is Moses, where is Mary, where is this Star of the Sea, At ille clamavit ad Dominum qui ostendit ei lignum: Quod cum misisset in aquas, in dulcedinem versae sunt. Exod. 15. v. 25. whose sole name is able to cause a thousand Fountains and Rivers to spring in the midst of Deserts? Courage then, behold thy happy Conductor to whom God hath shown a certain Wood of life and sweetness, which he had scarce put into the water, but it presently became delicious: Behold a pleasing Metamorphosis! But we must not wonder at it, since this Wood is no other than the Image of him, who can change all the torrents & bitternesses of this life into an Ocean of consolation. It is the Cross which hath been steeped in the waters of Mara. O Cross! O Mara! what sweet rigours, and pleasing bitternesses do all those find, Venerunt autem in Elim filii Israel, ubi erant duodecim sontes aquarum, & septuaginta palmae, & castrametatisunt juxta aquas. Exo. 15. v. 27. who make use of thee to sweeten their sharpest afflictions. Likewise after the Israelites had steeped this wood in the waters of Mara, and sweetened the bitter waters of this Desert, they went directly to the Land of Elim, which was watered with many delightful Fountains, and where under the shades of Palm-trees, they might sweetly and joyfully repeat their Canticle of Peace and Victory. CHAP. XX. The Manna of the Desert. IT was not without reason God from the beginning of the world took the name of Elohim, Beneficent Nature of God. that is to say, a benefactor and obliger. For his Nature is so propense to do good, as there is no moment in our lives which is not marked with some of his favours. For this end he hath raised the Heavens, the Air, and the Stars over our heads, as so many treasuries, in which he hath enclosed the light and vital influences, without which the world would be but a confused Mass, and a dreadful Tomb. He hath also peopled the elements, and given to every one what was convenient and necessary for their infirmities. He himself is a great Ocean of Essences, and an Abyss of goodness, from whence spring a thousand torrents of graces, which from Heaven water the Earth, in so great abundance, and with so general an effusion, that there is no person who may not be satiated thereby. It seems also that he was, as it were, obliged thereunto, and that if by some secret of his wise Providence he chance to withdraw his arm and hand, which fills us with all sorts of benedictions, we may have some cause to complain and murmur against him. Et murmuravit omnis congregatio filiorum Israel contra Moysen & Aaron in solitudine. Exod. 16. v. 2. Dixeruntque filii Israel ad eos: utinam mortui essemus per manum Domini in terra Aegypti, quando sedebamus super ollas carnium, & comedebamus panem in saturitate, cur eduxisti nos in desertum istud, ut occideretis omnem multitadin●m fame? Exod. 16. v. 3. Behold a while this People, I beseech you, whom a month since he drew out of Egypt, and freed from the Tyranny of Pharaoh. Behold these good people for whom he hath sweetened the bitterness of Mara, who were scarce gone out of the little Paradise of Elim, but they presently murmured, because their Meal began to fail, and as if Moses had been the cause of it, they said unto him, that they very much wondered at his causing them to departed out of Egypt, and that it had been better for them to have there died amongst their flesh pots and Caldrons, where they had always something to eat, than to follow him in a desert, where they were even ready to perish with hunger. Ah wicked and ungrateful men, are you not ashamed to prefer your bellies before God, and to forget all the benefits you received in your last necessities? Nevertheless, this is what all these Apostates and misbelievers did, who having remained some time under the Palm-Trees of Elim, and drunk the waters of these sweet fountains, being somewhat farther advanced in the desert, and having met with some wants and difficulties, they presently repent themselves for having left the fleshpots and dunghills of Egypt, to enter a wilderness, into which notwithstanding God had conducted, and freed them from off the bondage and tyranny of sin. These gluttons are afraid of abstinence, the Lent hath affrighted them, the just and holy Laws of God and his Church were insupportable to them: They choose rather to die with Flesh and Blood, upon a dunghill of ordures and horrors, and near a pile enkindled by the hand of the most infamous passions, and where there is some sense of Egypt, some flame of Babylon, Lib. 1. c. 7, in the spoils of envy. some Spirit of Babel, and some remnant of Cain; than in a place consecrated to virtue and grace, to repose and joy: this only suits, as I have said elsewhere, with those future Apostates, and those wicked souls, who soon or late publicly break their vows without any reasonable cause, and only to content a brutish appetite, Dixit autem Dominus ad Moisen: Ecce ego vobis pluam panes de caelo: egrediatur populus, & colligat quae sufficiunt per fingulos dies ut tentem eum utrum ambulet in lege mea, an non. Exod. 16. v. 4. Die autem sexto parent quod inferant & sit dupbum quam colligere solebant per singulos dies. Exod. 16. v. 5. which makes them sigh after the fleshpots of Egypt, as this poor people of Israel did, who thought to turn back after they had passed over the waves of the Red Sea, and were come to the eighth station of their voyage. Nevertheless, God was so gracious as to stay them, and to promise Moses, that Heaven should rain down bread for them in abundance: but they were to make provision of it for one day only that he might have thereby occasion to try whether they were constant in his service and in his Law, Dixeruntque Moses & Aaron ad omnes filios Israel: vespere scietis quod Dominus duxerit vos de terra Aegypti. Exod. 16. v. 6 Et mane videbitis gloriam Domini: audivit enim murmur vestrum contra Dominum: Nos verò quid sumus quia mussitastis contra nos. Exod. 16. v. 7. Dixit quoque Moises ad Aaron, etc. Cumque loqueretur Aaron ad omnem coetum filiorum Israel: respexerunt ad solitudinem, & ecce gloria Domini aparuit in nube. Exod. 16. v. 10. Factum est ergo vespere, & ascendens coturnix conperuit castra: mane quoque ros jacuit per circuitum castrorum. Exod. 16. v. 13. Quod erat quasi semen coriandrialbum. Exod. 16. v. 13. Nyssenus, Philo, Josephus. Quod cum vidissent filii Israel dixerunt adinvicem: Manha? quod significat quid est hoc? ignorabant enim quid esset. Quibus ait Moses, iste est panis quem Dominus dedit vobis ad. vescendum. Exod. 16. v. 15. Hic est sermo quem praecepit Dominus, colligat unusquisque ex eo quantum sufficit ad vescendum. Exod. 16. v. 16. Feceruntque ita filii Israel & collegerunt, alius plus, alius minu●. Exod. 16. v. 17. and that besides they might have on the sixth day in a readiness, what they were to carry away; yet he permitted them to take for that time twice as much food as before. Behold then Aaron and Moses, assembling all their Troops, to declare unto them, that before night, or early in the morning, they should see an evident mark of the power and providence of him, who had brought them out of Egypt; As if there Clamour and murmuring had been heard, though this hard dealing had been used toward them, who were a mere nothing in comparison of God unto whom they addressed themselves. God having given such orders unto Aaron as he was to observe in speaking to this people: Aaron beginning to speak, they saw toward the desert certain rays of Glory, and of the Majesty of God upon the body of a cloud. After which in the Evening, as God said unto Moses, the camp of the people of Israel was seen covered with fat quails, which fell in so great abundance that they might have enough of them for many days, and the next day the whole desert in which they resided, was full of dew and Manna, every drop whereof was as a pearl, and like seeds of Coriander and Crystal, which these poor people seeing, and scarce knowing what to say, or think, they wholly astonished, looked upon one another, ask from whence came this pleasing rain, this happy dew, and in fine, what that might be which they saw and did not know. Whereupon Moses beginning to speak, answered them, that it was God who sent them this bread from Heaven to eat, and that for the rest, every one might gather up as much of it as would be necessary for one day only, which they did, some notwithstanding took more, others less, but coming afterward to measure all that they had taken, he that had gathered up the most, found no more than he that had taken least, Et mensi sunt ad mensuram Gomor, nec qui plus collegerat habuit amplius, nec qui minus paraverat, reperit minus, etc. Exod. 16. v. 18. Dixitque Moises ad eos: nullus relinquet ex eo in manè. Exod. 16. v. 19 Qui non audierunt eum, sed dimiserunt quidam ex eis usque manè, & scatere capit vermibus, atque computruit, & iratus est contra eos Moses. Colligebant autem manè singuli, cumque incaluisset sol liquefiebat. Exod. 16. v. 21. Indie autem sexta collegerunt cibos duplices, etc. Exod. 16. v. 22. Requies sabbati sanctificata est Domino cras: quodcunque operandum est facite, & quae coquenda sunt, coquite. Exod. 16. v. 23. but every one just as much as was necessary for his present sustenance. After this Moses commanded that no person should preserve any of it for the next day, which many having opposed, it happened that all their provision was found tainted, and converted into worms: whereupon Moses took a just occasion to be offended with them, and sharply to reprehend their gourmandise and infidelity. Thirdly, they were not to make this gathering but by break of day, and early in the morning, by reason the Sun with his most ardent beams, happening to beat upon this sweet jelly, it might be dissolved. In the fourth place, this Manna always fell the sixth day, in a double proportion, to the end the next day, being the Sabbath, might be employed in the service of God: where we must observe, that this day of repose and rest, which began six days after the creation of the World, and the feast whereof had ceased to be kept during the Captivity of Egypt, was then as it were renewed; for upon that day they ought not to think of what was necessary to eat, but that from the Eve they were to be provided of it, and to have it dressed for the Sabbath day. Implegomer ex eo & costediatur in futuras remò generationes: ut noverint panem que alui ves in solitudine, quando educti estis de terrâ Agypti. Exod. 16. v. 32. Fiftly, God commanded Moses to cause a measure to be filled with it equal to that of every day, and then to set it in the Tabernacle, that it might be conserved as an eternal Monument of piety and gratitude, and as an immortal Testimony of his goodness towards them. In fine, Filii autem Israel comederunt Mannam quadragint annis, etc. Exod. 16. v. 35. during the space of forty years there was no day nor season of the year, in which all these precepts and miracles had not their courses; It was also a Figure of the Manna, which would fall in the new Law, and should continue even unto the last consummation of the world, and of the Church. It was an Antepast of the Body of Jesus Christ hidden under this adorable bread, whose species hath a particular resemblance with the Manna, and a more excellent sweetness than that of this bread of the desert. It must not also be taken until we have abandoned the carnal allurements of Egypt, and the deceitful delights of the world, and sin: This is the food presented by the hand of Magnificence, and received by those of faith; Whence it comes, that covetous and unbelieving people find there nothing but worms and putrefaction. It is also a fruit, and there is no need either of cultivating the Earth, or sowing any grains or seeds to gather it; But without humane labour it comes out of the bosom of God its Father, and out of the Bowels of the Virgin, and amidst the influences and dews of the holy Ghost, on a Table where souls meet with their most pleasing repast. It is little, and enclosed under small appearances of bread. The people are astonished at it, they ask in this great astonishment, what it is, and how that could be done which was told them, and what they were to believe concerning it. Every one might take it, and how little soever it appeared, it was given in such a proportion, that men received is as great and immense as it is in Heaven. It will cease on the Great day of Sabbath, and repose after the course of this life, and when we shall see it with our own Eyes, without veil or figure, in the Land of promise. There shall we drink large draughts of it, in the torrents of delight, and in stead of the dew of Manna we shall be satiated in an Ocean of Nectar and Ambrosia, that is without bounds, measure, limit, or bottom. Ah! I think the time long till we be out of Egypt, and free from these chains which link us to so shameful services, and so unworthy of a Soul ransomed by the blood and life of a God. Alas! When will this so much desired moment come? When shall we hear the Canticles of victory, and when shall we go amongst the daughtes of Zion, to our Country, crying out with a loud voice, that Pharaoh is swallowed up under the Abysses, and that all those troops of Enemies which pursue, us have suffered a dismal shipwreck, not only under the waves of the Red Sea, but under the lakes of fire, Sulphur, blood, and Malediction. Mean while let us content ourselves with the real Manna, whereof our forefathers have had but the Figure. Let us go unto the Sanctuary, where it is deposited for us and our generations. Let us eat this bread of Angels, and let us drink of this wine, which germinats virgins, Let us make use of it according to the Laws which are prescribed us. Let us go then early in the morning, that is to say, before the noise and tumult of this great World hath strucken our ears with so many importune, unprofitable, extravagant, and dangerous discourses, before our Eyes have been surprised by the sight of these Objects of Vanity, Ambition, Envy, or of some other vice which is yet more infamous; and finally before the great day be arrived, in which we are commonly so dazzled by some false splendours, as we can hardly discern the truth. Above all, since this bread of Heaven hath all sorts of Savours, let us not mix with it any earthly food, or any of all those meats, which the Flesh, the World, and Hell use to season; for this were to mingle remedies with poison, and convert a Feast of life into a repast of death; and it had been much better for them to have remained amongst the fleshpots, and onions of Egypt, or at least to have died of famine in some desert, than to have immolated themselves at the foot of an Altar and Sanctuary as a victim of terror, perfidiousness, and Execration. CHAP. XXI. The Fountain of Horeb. IT is our condition here, In hoc positi sumus. Thes. 1.3. saith the Apostle, to be tempted on all sides, and it is as natural to man, to live in the midst of Combats, and assaults, as unto Fishes to Swim in the water, and Birds to fly in the Air. It is our profession, our Employment, and one of our most usual exercises, to be in this conflict, and we must necessarily always attack or defend. And often to repulse an assault were to be a Conqueror in this kind of war, and though sometimes we be almost vanquished, yet we may have the glory of triumphing, provided we hold out to the last: the reason of this is most evident, for as much as the assailer being afterwards wholly constrained to make a dishonourable retreat, he that hath been so courageous, as strongly to ward all his blows, and to smile at his threats, remains like a fortress and strong hold which after a long siege sees at last the rout of those who had assaulted it, and where, if the Gates, outworks, Bulwarks and walls had mouths, they would be heard to cry out victory, and all these breaches would serve only to say, that even the defences have overcome. Now that which causeth many to yield at the first approaches, is the little courage they have to resist, or an overgreat confidence in their own forces, imagining that they can do what is impossible for them, and that it is easy long to preserve a place whereof God is not the Govenour. There are also some who are affrighted at the first difficulty, and presently despair, as if God were not gracious enough to help them, and powerful enough to furnish them with what they need. His magnificent hand hath been pleased to do us all the good we have and can expect: Nevertheless we do like the Hebrews, who in the midst of the reins and dews of Manna, complain and murmur for want of one drop of water. What ingratitude and what cruelty! What would a man say, who after he hath been delivered out of the midst of Slaves and Galleys, or rather out of some dark prison where he could expect nothing but death, and after he hath been conducted into Palaces and royal Courts, educated and treated as a King, amidst all the honours and delights which could be invented; should be so brutish as to complain if once it should happen, that some small attendance were not soon enough given him: Would not the Prince and Redeemer of this infamous wretch have just cause to use him according to his desert, and to change all his favours and bounties into punishments to chastise so horrid an ingratitude? God notwithstanding after all the good entertainments he had bestowed on the people of Israel, Igitur profecta omnie multitudo filiorum Israel de deserto Sin per mansiones suas, ubi non erat aqua ad bibendum populo, Exod. 17. v. 1. Et murmuravit contra Moisen dicens: cur fecisti nos exire de Aegypto, ut occideres nos, & liberos nostros, ac jumenta fiti? Exod. 17. v. 3. hears the cries they cast forth against him and his Prophet, by reason being come to the foot of Mount Sina they there found want of water. Alas! again said they, why have you brought us out of the land of Egypt to make us die here of thirst, with all our Children and troops; truly, Behold a brave Conductor. Ah! who hath given us this man, who leads us into the deserts, and into places, where nature is so dry and covetous that she affords us not one drop of water? Why do you blame me for it? Saith Moses to them, Quibus respondit Moses: quid jurgamini contra me, cur tentatis Dominum? Exod. 17 v. 2. and why are you so ungrateful as to forget him, who hath conferred so many benefits on you? Do you think yourselves then less considerable to hi● than worms and flies, of which he hath yet so particular a care? Is it not he, who gives light unto the Stars, and lustre to flowers, and descends without departing out of himself even into the bottom of Abysses to nourish so many fishes? His greatness hath even vouchsafed to debase itself even into the bosom of the earth, and on dung hills, there to give Being and life unto Plants? why do you tempt then this sweet clemency, and which it seems you would yet constrain to afford you more illustrious proofs of its most magnificent bounties? Notwithstanding all this the murmuring increased, and some sedition had followed, if Moses to divert this danger had not addressed himself unto God, saying in this manner. Lord! Clamavit autem Moises ad Dominum dicens, Quid saciam populo huic, ad huc paululum & lapidabit me. Exod. 17. v. 4. what to say and do unto this people, I know not; For if I expect any longer, I fear lest they may be more incensed, and kill me with stones. The vulgar sort is a great Body covered with eyes and ears, yet very often deaf and blind. It is an Ocean which hath its fluxes and refluxes, and being once agitated by some storm, spares neither City nor wall, Haven nor banks, and is no longer the Ship of which an old Pilot holds the Rudder, than that whereof some young Mariner governs the stern. It is also likened to the Chameleon which takes all sorts of forms and colours. In fine, That which we find most changeable and dangerous in the world is the picture of a multitude which suffer themselves to be transported with passions, and what appears therein most cruel, is that there needs but a rash, and seditious person, or a man who hath nothing to lose, to excite unto the spoil and ruin of all. We must not wonder then, if Moses feareth to be destroyed with stones, and to serve as a prey unto the fury of those to whom he had been a Redeemer. But there is a Sun in the world which causeth himself to be seen and felt by blind men, a voice heard by the deafest ears, a Sceptre which extends itself over the waves of the Ocean, which stops the course of unconstancy, & a spirit of peace which appeaseth the blackest furies. It is the eye, the word, the sceptre, the hand, and the Spirit of God, whose least breath is able every where to remove trouble, and in a Moment to overthrow all the disturbers of peace. March, saith he unto Moses, Et ait Dominus ad Moisen antecede populum, & sum tecum de senioribus Israel: Et virgam qua percussisti fluvium tolle in manu tuâ & vade. Exod. 17. v. 5. En ego stabo ibi coram te supra petram Horeb, percutiesque petram & exibit ex ea aqua ut bibat populus, etc. Exod. 17. v. 5. M●racul us fountain issuing out of the rock of Horeb. Ex Abulensi. March in the head of this people, and choose a certain number of the most ancient; take in thy hand the Rod thou didst use to change the water of Nilus into blood, and I will go as it were before thee; Then being come to Horeb, thou shalt strick a Rock which is at the foot of the Mountain, from whence thou at the same time shalt see water streaming forth, to quench the thirst of all thy followers. There are certain Cosmographers, who affirm that this miraculous stone is still seen, and that a fountain of water continually flows from thence. It represents unto us, saith Theodoret, the fountain of blood and living water, which issued from the side of him who is the fundamental stone of the Church, after it had been strucken on the Cross, the sacred liquor whereof hath sprung up even upon our Altars, where at present it still runs through the sacred channels of the most holy Eucharist. Tertul. lib de Baptis. c. 9 It was also a lively representation of Baptism, from whence the salutiferous waters and the most perfect virtue doth flow, as it were from the centre of the cross. Some others conceive that this water was a figure of the graces and gifts of the holy Ghost. And it is to this purpose a Saint, Bern. ser. 67. in cant. ad illud can●. 2. columba mea in foraminibus petrae, in caverna maceriae, &. whose piety is always eloquent, knew well how to observe the chaste Dove of Sinai, the amiable Shepherdess of Raphidim, the faithful spouse which makes her abode in the hollow places and holes of the stones of Horch, hath found in this adorable Rock, her resting place, her peace, her repose, her affections, her strength, her patience, her joy, and all her fairest and most solid hopes: This is then that which renders her uncapable of all fear, and invulnerable to all strokes, and insensible of all sorrows which cause suffering in others. Her eyes are bathed in tears, her hands and arms are bruised with torture; And yet she elevates them unto God to receive some ease, and to testify her constancy. Her body is torn with scourges, and dilacerated with torments, but her wounds and ulcers are all as so many mouths, which cry out, Let the great God live. Ah! what Theatre of Constancy, what prodigy of power, what miracle of Love. O stones of Horeb, how powerful are you, fountain of Sinai, let thy waters never dry up: but who ever shall doubt of these wonders whereof Horeb is the source, let him come, let him be inebriated with these waters of life, miracle, and of immortality. CHAP. XXII. The defeat of the Amalekites by the prayers of Moses. I Know not who said that men were as the arms of God; It is true that they are not only the Instruments of his mercy, but also the arms of his indignation. These are sometimes darts which he casts the one against the other, Billows which mutiny and produce fluxes and refluxes to swallow up each other in a common Shipwreck, and flames which fasten on a common subject to make there a funestous Pile, in which they usually invelop themselves even in the same fire. It is almost impossible that the World can ever enjoy a perfect peace, so long as there shall be men; for peace itself is very often the mother of war; repose which gives truce unto the soul raiseth in it a thousand thoughts and passions, which arm themselves at the beating of the first Alarm, and advance into the field upon the first occasion. God himself marcheth in the head of battalions, and I know not whether it be not for this cause, he Calls himself the great God of Hosts, well do I know, that he always presides there, making use of them to reward some and to punish others; and to the end we may take notice, that war is one of his scourges, and that there be always invisible weapons resembling so many torches which he lights and extinguisheth according to his good pleasure: In fine, it is a most infallible verity, that victory in war, though wavering and inconstant in its own nature remains in the hand of God, and it is a Bird which cannot take its flight, but to that part which is assigned it by his most holy Providence. The Israelites had a powerful motive to know this verity, in the first war they were enforced to maintain against the Amalekites after their passage over the Red Sea. This people had for their King and general the son of Eliphas called Amaleck, of Esau's race, Venit autem Amalec, & pugnavit contra Jsrael in Raphidim. Exod 17. v. 8. of whom they had as it were inherited an implacable hatred against Jacob, and the Hebrews who descended from him. This was the motive of their taking up arms, besides their fear seeing this great multitude led by Moses, who marched towards the Land of Promise, as if the happy moment were come, in which the Benediction, which Jacob had in a manner forced from Esau, was to be accomplished. Methinks when I cast my eyes upon these mutinous troops, which foraged the Country, and pursued the Hebrews with so much fury and animosity, I see an army of hobgoblins, which are commonly called the inciters of Flesh and Blood, which have no sooner perceived a soul out of the Lands of Egypt and out of the empire of carnal and mundane pleasures, but they presently take the field to assault her, and to disturb her entry into the happy Land, which was promised her, and into some holy retreat. But we must fear nothing, since we need but lift up our hands to Heaven like Moses, and implore the assistance of that great Intelligence, who never abandons those who are inroled under his Standard, and fight valiantly for the honour of his name. Cumque levaret Moises manus, vincebat Israel, sin autem paululum remisisset superabat Amalec. Exod. 17. v. 11. Yes, at the same time that this great Captain lifted up his Arm towards God to implore his aid, and to give him a sign that he only expected the victory from him, the people of Israel became Conquerors, but if he chanced never so little to let down his Hand, these poor people would be lost and overcome by Amaleck. O God, The efficacy of prayer. what victory! Kings, Captains, Soldiers, entire Legions are defeated by the ejaculations, sighs, and prayers of one single man; what efficacy of Prayer! It is Theatre where death finds life, a Throne where weakness takes force and Majesty, a Field where Laurels and Palms are reaped, a Sea which hath always prosperous gales, and an Air where Graces and Angels incessantly fly. Prayer is not only, as St. Ephraim saith, the monument and Sepulchre of dying men, the Sanctuary of the Afflicted, the Advocate of Criminals, the Seal and Character of purity, the Nurse of temperance, the Bridle of impatience, the Conserver of peace, but the Standard also of War, and the Soul of all our triumphs; who will wonder then, if the Amalekites be defeated, since Moses, who was the most devout, ardent, zealous and holy Man upon Earth, made his most humble supplications unto God for this purpose? Manus autem Moisi erant graves, etc. Exod. 17. v. 12. Aaron autem & Hur sustentabant manus eius ex utraque parte. Exod. 17. v. 13. But I fear lest the forces of his Spirit might weaken those of the Body, and that at last his Arms and Hands stretched out towards Heaven, might suffer themselves to follow their natural propension towards the Earth. I assure myself that Hur and Aaron had the same apprehension; for behold them on the top of a little Hill, Hur on the one side, and Aaron on the other, supporting the victorious Hands, and the conquering Arms of Moses, Fugavitque Josue Amalec & populum eius in ore gladii. Exod. 17. v. 13. whilst Josua pursued, and put to the Sword both Amaleck and his Amalekites, who discerned in their flight, and by their defeat, that it was more than a humane Hand which had assailed and vanquished them. Behold then, the victories of Heaven, and Crowns wrought by the Hand of God, who will have the whole World to know, that there are for his Soldiers Laurels and Palms in his Hands, and on the contrary Thunderbolts and Lightnings to dart against his enemies. Non ego ó Imperator victus sum, sed tuipse prodidisti victo●iam qui contra Deum aciem instruere non desinis, Deum sequitur victoria & ad eos accedet quibus se Deus dacem praebet. Theo. lib. 4. hist. c. 29. Trajan was not ignorant of this, when having been sent by Valens to conduct troops which were defeated under his command, he had the courage to say unto him at his return, That he had not been vanquished, but rather the person that sent him, and who was so temerarious as to raise troops against him, whose steps are always followed by those of victory. The Emperor Theodorus had the same thoughts, when having received news in a full Theatre, and in the midst of the sports used in the Circus, that a certain Tyrant his enemy had been overcome, commanded all that were present to follow him, Niceph. lib. 4. c. 7. to render thanks unto God, as unto the Author of this prosperous success. France also knows the glorious victory which Clotarius gained, after a troublesome and domestic War, Gregorius Turon. lib. 4. c. 16. &. 17. by the help of prayer. In fine, not to search further into former ages, and to dis-inter so many Princes, who have been either Conquerors or Conquered by this kind of Arms, we need but cast our eyes upon the victories of our incomparable Lewis, and amongst others on that of the Isle of Ree, where like an other Moses he lifted up his Hands unto Heaven in the Chapel of Saumeur, and then like Josua he pursued his enemies even to the destruction of their Ships, and even into the bosom of the proudest and most rebellious City in the World, where at last he might justly say unto his France, what God said unto Moses after the destruction of Amaleck. Let what passed at this time be written in annal, Dixit autem Dominus ad Moisen: scribe hoc ob monimentum in libro & trade auribus Josue delebo erim memoriam Amalec sub caelo. Exod. 17. v. 14. and let it be engraven upon all Marbles; Amaleck is vanquished, and men never shall more speak of him, but to remember his loss and misfortune. After which Moses erected an Altar for an eternal monument, Edificavitque Moses altar: & vocavit nomen ejus, Dominus exaltatio mea, dicens, Exod. 17. v. 15. Quia manus solii Domini, & bellum Domini erit contra Amalec à generatione & generationem. Exod. 17. v. 16. which he consecrated unto God, as unto him who had been a Standard in this War, and a Trophy after his Combats: Amongst which he had cast down the Throne of Amaleck, and effaced his name and memory for all eternity. After this let any one be so rash and senseless as to attaque God and his servants, to suffer themselves to be transported at the first sight, and at the first assault of an impudent Love, of a Carnal affection, of a violent pleasure, of a deceitful beauty, of a charmed imagination, of a contagious desire, of a brutish satisfaction, of a mortal envy, and of so many passions, which use to pursue those who forsake the World and Egypt, and which like Amaleck and the Amalekites, are destroyed by the least shafts of courage and virtue, but chief of piety and confidence in God: The which may be easily acquired and preserved with that Saint, who hath made, and doth make every Day so many Saints by this cogitation. Here on Earth there are momentary pleasures, Sanctus Franciscus. Modica hic voluptas sed postea poena aeterna, modicus hic labour, sed postea gloria aeterna multorum vocatio, paucorum electio, omnium retributio; aeternitatem cogita. and afterward eternal torments: There are afflictions and difficulties in the World, which end almost assoon as they begin, and in Heaven there is a repose and glory which shall be immortal. Many are called, but few chosen, and yet all shall be rewarded according to their deserts; Think then on Eternity. CHAP. XXIII. Moses is visited in the Desert, where he Creates Judges and Magistrates. SCarce are there any Creatures in this World which are not fastened by some ties: But amongst others, men are there as it were in a Dungeon or Galley, where nevertheless some have Irons and Chains about their Necks, Feet and Hands, Captivity of Creatures. others have but Bonds of Silk, and very often of blood which detain them like so many Andromedes upon a Rock, or like ravenous Birds upon a heap of Carrion, from which they cannot rise to elevate themselves into the Ayr. Amongst this number are those who swear not but by their country, and by those little Gods the Ancients placed near the Chimney Corners, or at the Beds Feet, as their domestic Tutelaries, and the Genius of a Closet or House. I place also in this road all those who have servile amities and blind passions for trifling things, unworthy to be regarded by a generous and courageous Spirit, who nevertheless you shall very often see amusing themselves in the chase of Flies, handling a Spindle, or carrying a Distaff like Sardanapalus amongst a few disdainful Dames, which enslave him by a thousand Childish ●oyes. There are other Chains, which though lawful, are yet often more dangerous, not to be broken but with violences, which cannot be practised upon ourselves, without a most particular grace. Now such are all the ties which nature hath woven in our Hearts, and in our Veins, and which so powerfully fasten a Father and Mother unto their Children, an only Brother to his Sister, a Servant to his Master, and two faithful friends to each other, that nature were almost obliged unto a miracle to require of her this separation. Nevertheless it is a necessity, which can almost admit of no delay, and from which a man cannot be exempted, when he resolves to serve God, and obey his most holy will: He is not yet so rigorous as not to permit the exercise of those duties which every condition requireth, provided it be done with order and according to the rule of prudence and piety; For in such a case he being the Author of nature as he is, he is so far from destroying her, as on the contrary he will preserve her, but above all he will be first served. And this is what Moses did, when he was commanded to obey God, and to go from Madian into Egypt to solicit his affairs, and to negotiate for his people with Pharaoh; For he left his Wife and Children, and what he had most dear in the world, to go with his brother Aaron: Cumque audisset Jethro, sacerdos Madian, cognatus Moysi, omnia quae secerat ei D●us, etc. Exod. 18. v. 1. Tulit Sephoram uxorem Moysi quam remiserat. Exod. 18. v. 2. Et duos filios esus. Exod. 18 v. 3. Cumque intrasset tabernaculum, Exod. 18. v. 7. Narravit Moyses cognato suo cuncta quae fecerat Dominus Pharaoni, etc. Exod. 18. v. 8. Laetatusque est Jethro super omnibus bonis quae fecerat Dominus Israëli. Exod. 18. v. 9 Obtulit ergo Jethro cognatus Morsi holocausta & hostias Deo; veneruntque Aaron, & omnes seniores Israël, ut comederent panem cum eo coram Deo. Exod. 18. v. 12. Altera autem die sedit Moses, ut judicaret populum, qui assistebat Moysi â mane usque ad vesperam. Exod. 18 v. 13. Quod cum vidisset cognatus ejus, omnia scilicet quae agebat in popule, ait: quid est hoc a ●od facis in plebe? etc. Exod. 18. v. 14. but when his Orders were executed, and when Pharaoh and Egypt, Amaleck and the Amalekites were exterminated, and the Israelites conducted even unto Mount Sina, after so many Miracles wrought for their sake, behold Jethro the Priest of Madian appearing, who brought back Moses Wife, and two Sons whom he had left behind, when he took his Journey into Egypt. He received him with very great affection, and having brought him unto his Tent, he related to him all the particulars of what had passed, and the Prodigies God had wrought by his hand. Jethro then manifested an unspeakable joy, and immediately rendered thanks unto God, who had freed them all from the tyranny of Egypt, and the power of Pharaoh, freely confessing that the God of Israel was the God of Gods, whose goodness, power, Justice, and Majesty had made themselves to be seen, and felt by his enemies: In testimony whereof he took from the hand of Moses a Victim and Sacrifice, which he offered with a most perfect faith, and a most holy piety. Then the Banquet followed, at which all the Ancients of the people were present, with an intention to celebrate this Feast in honour of their God. The next day Moses began to hold his Sessions, to render Justice unto the people, who from morning till evening stood round about him: The which Jethro seeing, astonished at the care & pains he took in an employment where he scarce had any intermission; he asked him why he took singly upon himself so difficult a charge, and of so great concernment?. To which Moses having given him this answer, That he could not be quit of this multitude who desired from his mouth to learn the Laws of God, and to decide their differences. Cuirespondit Moses: Venit ad me populus, quaerens sententiam Dei. Exod. 18 v. 15. At ille, non bonam, inquit, rem sacis. Exod 18. v. 17. Stulto labore consumeris & tu, & populas, etc. Exod. 18. v. 18. Provide autem de omni plebe viros potentes, & timentes Deum, in quibas sit veritas, etc. Exod. 18. v. 21. Heb. Chald. Septuag. & latina Romana. Et constitue ex eis Tribunos, Centuriones, & quinquagenarios, & Decanos, Exod. 18. v. 21. Qui judicent populum omni tempore, quidquid autem majus fuerit, referant ad te, etc. Exod. 18. v. 22. Si hoc feceris, implebis imperium Dei, & praecepta ejus poteris sustentare: & omnis hic populus revertetur ad loca sua cum pace. Exod. 18. v. 23. Truly saith Jethro, you are a good man, and you put yourself unprofitably unto much trouble: Do you not perceive that it is impossible for you to content, and exactly to satisfy all parties? Rest satisfied then, to teach them what purely appertains unto the worship of God, and to the Ceremonies they must observe to lead a holy life in their Religion. As for affairs of less importance establish Judges and Magistrates, which may be powerful in Authority, sincere and real in their words, enemies to Avarice, and, above all, fearing God; to this effect create Tribunes, Centurions, Quinquagenarians, and Decemviri, which ought to be ready at all times, and if any difficult point arise, they will address themselves unto you, that their jurisdiction may extend only to what shall be of less consequence, and so every one having his office, yours will be more light and easy to bear. If you perform what I say, you will do what you ought, and what God requires at your hands, and all this people will return from hence in peace and concord to their own houses. Moses followed his counsel, and did his best to choose such men as might have the qualities which Jethro had required; these are also the four Wheels upon which Justice is to move. Power goes first, Quibus auditis, Moses fecit omuia quae ille suggesserat. Exod. 18. v. 24. Et electis viris strenui● de cuncto Israël, constituit eos princrpes populi, etc. Exod. 18. v. 25. and this is a certain Authority which appears ever on the face, acquired by the Virtue of courage, by resolution in its enterprises, by constancy in its decrees, and by I know not what force which cannot be perverted, nor terrified by all those deceitful and magnificent preparations, and by those thundering threats which are wont to overthrow Tribunals, and even tear in pieces the hands of Justice. It's Companion, and without which all force and power would be but a great Statue with a fair outside, and deceitful effects, is Sincerity, Girald. Synt. 1. which the Ancients used to fasten about the necks of their Judges, even after their death, and to engrave on their Marbles with so lively eyes, and such animated looks, as it seemed that it had a mind to revive after their death, and upon their Tombs. It is also that Virgin whose beauty is immortal, whose power is invincible, whose attractives and charms are without deceit, whose birth is noble and illustrious, Epistola ad Philopaemenem, Hipocrates. and whose eyes, saith Hypocrates, are like two Stars, which appear in the firmament. Under the third Wheel, Avarice is represented as a Captive, and stifled under the feet of a Virtue, which hath nothing base, nothing sordid, which having other men's interests in her heart and power, reserves nothing for herself. In fine, without the Fear of God, this Chariot cannot march; for this Fear is, as it were the Mother and nurse of all Virtues, without which not only all Human, but even all Divine Laws either soon or late are violated. In case these four Wheels be entire, and if Wisdom guide the reigns of this Chariot, it is not to be doubted but its course will be prosperous, and that in all Countries where Justice moves, Plenty, Peace, and all the pleasures of life will be quickly seen following their Mother and Mistress, with Crowns of Olive-branches on their heads, and Palms in their hands, Songs, Victories and Triumph in their mouths, to publish every where that their Empire is as great as can be desired. CHAP. XXIV. The Sanctification of the people to receive the Law of God upon Mount Sina. IN Beasts we very often observe certain instincts, Fair draughts of the Divinity. which have something. I know not what, of human; And it seems also that God hath been pleased to cast into their Souls, the seeds of his own Nature, who, although infinitely elevated above all Being's, yet abaseth himself even unto the most vile and weak creatures, to give them, as it were, an impression of their Creator. They may boast to have some marks of the hand which hath produced them, and of the spirit which hath inlivened them. The Lion hath some resemblance of his Majesty and Vigilancy, the Lamb of his Meekness and goodness, the Pelican of his Love, the Dove and Ermine of his Purity, the Phoenix of his Unity, the Eagle of his most wise Providence, and the affectionate care he hath of his. Surely he compares himself to that Royal Bird which hath so often manifested his Zeal and affection, not only towards those little Eagles, but also towards all sorts of persons, Plinius lib. 10. c. 3. in Sesto. and namely towards Children. Witness the Bird of the I'll of Sestos, which having been brought up by a young Virgin, went afterwards in pursuit of prey, to procure her nourishment; not leaving her even in death, but accompanying her to the flames of her Pile, where she was burnt with her dear nurse; Witness that Bird which Ptolemy, Suidas in Lage. the Son of Arsinoe nursed up with the blood of Quails, and which served him as an Umbrello against the greatest heats, and for a Canopy against the Rain, chase away from him all those Birds which would approach him. Pausanias' lib. 4. It is known what Pausanias reports of Aristomenes, whom an Eagle drew out of a deep Pit, into which he had been thrown: As also what Plutarch hath written in his Parallels of a certain Damsel, who being ready to be immolated, saw an Eagle stooping near her, which wrested the Sword out of the hand of the Sacrificer, and laid her upon a Heifers neck; from whence her fellow Citizens knew, that heaven did not approve of this bloody Sacrifice, Athenaeus ex Phi●arce. Athenaeus makes mention also of a young Eagle, which having been brought up by the hand of a Child, loved him afterwards as his brother, assisting him even during his Maladies, with so strong and violent resentments, as that when this Child did not eat, this poor Bird abstained also from food, continuing his amiable tendernesses, even to the flaming Pile, in which they were both buried under the same Ashes. We have a thousand such examples amongst the Profane, and more also in our holy Histories, where on the one side St. Medard is seen in the midst of a field under a great Eagle sheltering him from the Sun; And on the other side a generous Martry to whom eagle's served for guards unto his body, even after death; in the same manne● as those by which the Sacred relics, and chaste spoils of St. Stanislans, Bishop of Cracovia, were kept for the space of three whole days, lest they might be devoured by Dogs, or by some other beast. After so much love, piety, zeal, and foresight in this Bird, Moses' autem ascendit ad Doum, vocavitque eum Dominus da monte, & ait: haec dicit dominus Jacob, etc. Exod. 19 v. 3. Vos ipsi vidistis quae secerim Aegyptiis, quomodo portaverim vos super alas aquilarum, & assumpserim mihi. Exod. 19, v. 4. ought we to wonder, if God having conducted his people unto the foot of Mount Sina, called Moses from the top of this Mountain, commanding him to say from him, unto the Children of Israel, that they must remember what he had done to the Egyptians for their sake, and how he had carried them on his wings like an Eagle, which as Rabbi Solomon very happily observes, useth to bear his young on his shoulders, whereas other Birds carry them in their talons, or in their beaks, lest those that fly over their heads may seize on them: But the Eagle fears only man, who is under her feet, and therefore she opposeth herself as a buckler against the Darts and Arrows which may be shot at them, preferring much more the life of her young before her own. Moses, say then boldly unto this people, that God is an Eagle which carries them upon his wings, and if they believe this truth, which hath been so often proved, assure them from me, that he will have a most particular care of their affairs: And although the whole world be dear unto him, Et vos eritis mihi in regnum Sacerdotale, & gens sancta. Exod. 19 v. 6. as being his, yet he will have no common tendernesses for them; and that in fine he will make use of them, as of so many Kings, and Priests to command over other Nations, and to render unto him the service and worship which is due unto his regality, V Chalda. verse. upon which all the Mitres and Crowns of the Universe depend. It is the same promise which God made unto all those who serve him, and live according to the rules of Christianity: For they are a chosen people, a holy Religion, and a Royal Priesthood. They have a power and command which puts a Sceptre into their hands, Venit Moses, & convocatis majoribus natu populi exposuit omnes sermones quos mandaverat Dominus. Exod. 19 v. 7. Responditque omnis populus simul: Cuncta quae locutus est Dominus, faciemus. Exod. 19 v. 8. Ait ei Dominus: jam nunc veniam ad te in caligine nubis, ut audiat me populus loquentem ad te, & credat tibi in perpetuum. Exod. 19 v. 9 and a Diadem of honour, and immortality on their heads. But to return unto Moses, when he had related unto the Hebrews all that God had said unto him, and when they all expressed their gratitude for the favours they had received from him, and were ready to obey such just commands; God advertised him that he was going to establish their Lawgiver, and to render this action more glorious, as also to effect that the people which are usually led more by sense than reason, might have more powerful motives to believe him, he said that he would appear to them in the form of a Cloud, in which he would speak unto them aloud, in such a manner, as having heard him, no man could any longer doubt, but that this most Divine and heavenly law was dictated by the mouth of a God. And this peradventure moved the Gentiles, the Turks, Zoroaster, Minos, & Mahomet, Foppery of Idolaters and Turks. impudently & falsely to boast, that they had spoken unto a God, and received their Laws from his hand. In like manner also Numa Pompilius made the Romans believe, that he had been instructed by the Goddess Egeria concerning his Laws. And Pythagoras for the same purpose had made an Eagle so tame, that she returning to him after her flight, gave him occasion to lie, in saying that she brought him his Principles and Maxims from Heaven, which afterwards he caused to pass for so many Oracles: But these were but illustrious falsehoods, and glorious Impostures, deceitful artifices, and subtle illusions to ruin the ignorant, whereas the Laws of Moses were Laws of the increated Wisdom, Decrees of the prime verity, and rules of Salvation for an entire people. It was requisite then carefully to prepare themselves for so important a reception, Qui dixit ei: Vade ad populum, & san ctifica illo, hodie, & eras, laven●que vestimenta sua. Exod. 19 v. 10. and Moses received command for this effect to advertise all the people, that they ought to purify themselves for the space of two days, to the end upon the third they might be ready to receive the Law. Now this preparation was no other than a general Sanctification, which first consisted in an exterior neatness, principally in apparel. Secondly, Et ne appropinquetis uxoribus vestris. Exod. 19.8. Et sint parati in diem tertium, etc. Exod. 19 v. 11. Jamque advenerat dies tertius, & mane inclaruerat, & ecce caeperunt audiri tonitrua, S. Hieronymus ad Fabiolam. Ac micare fulgura, & nubes densissimae operire montem, clangorque buccinae vehementius perstrepebat, & timuit populus qui erat in castris. Exod. 19 v. 16. Totus autem mons Sinai fumabat, eo quod descendisset super eum Dominus in ignes & ascenderet fumus ex eo quasi de furnace, eratque omnis mons terribilis. Exod. 19 v. 18. in abstaining even from lawful pleasures. Thirdly, in an expectation full of Piety, and respect, in consideration of so holy and great a favour. This being then done, as Moses had ordained on God's part, presently on the third day, which was that of Pentecost, the siftieth after Easter, and after the departure out of Egypt, all the Israelites appeared very early in the morning near Mount Sina, and drawn together in a Ring, and within those limits which Moses had prescribed them, no person presuming to touch the Mountain, according to the Prohibition made to that end, Behold a dreadful nose of Trumpets, accompanied with Thunder and Lightning, which began to send forth Claps upon Claps, issuing forth of a thick Cloud, wherewith the Mountain was covered, and which served for a Pavilion unto his Sanctuary, upon which God intended to show his Majesty, and establish his Laws. These poor people had never seen so dreadful a storm, never such a flaming Pile, never so stately a Theatre, never so pompous a Throne, and never so magnificent, resplendent, and terrible a Tribunal. One would have sworn that the Element of fire had fallen on Mount Sina, and that all the Infernal parts, or rather all the heavens had darted forth their Flames and Thunderbolts upon this Mountain, out of which there did rise so horrid a smoke, that it reached even to the Stars; and albeit the Sun was in the beginning of his course, yet he seems to make a stand, or at least his light became obscured, to produce on Sina a day of flames, and a night of horror and darkness, where in fine all the people being assembled, and with a respect worthy of the place, and of him who had descended to speak unto Moses, and to dictate unto him all that was to be done, the Ancient Law was published on the same day that the news of it was divulged, and almost with the same Circumstances which rendered the Feast more illustrious, and the action more full of affrightment and veneration. CHAP. XXV. The Promulgation of the Law upon Mount Sina. IF we should ask of a man what he is, and. whether in truth he be a man, it were to deride him; Nevertheless as there are three sorts of Men within us, whereof one hath the life of a Plant, the second the life of a Beast, and the last a life resembling that of Angels: if any one be found having but the two first, he would be rather a beast, and an herb, than a man; and what ever may be said of him; he would have but the name, or at most some exterior form of a man, which may be counterfeited with plaster or mortar. To be truly a man, he must have qualities, and perform those functions, which deserve this name. And in a word, it is requisite to evidence that he hath in himself the Source of a human and reasonable life, which is an intelligent Soul; and the powers of this Soul, which are memory, will, and understanding, which though the most noble and excellent, would yet be nevertheless a Sun in Eclipse, a Torch without light, a Star without rays, a Well without water, a silent Mouth, a blind Eye, an Orchard without Trees, Fruits and Herbs, if it had not the knowledge of good and evil, of truth and falsehood, and of what is profitable or pernicious to him; but above all of what God hath expressedly commanded him: Wherefore every man who desires to be a man, and live like a man, aught to understand the Mysteries which have been revealed to us by God himself, and proposed in the Church. He must submit thereto his reason with faith, love, and reverence. He ought to be in the Church, as in the midst of a choice plot of ground watered with seven beautiful Fountains, which are the Sacraments, and this plot must not be far distant from Mount Sina, nor the Land of Judea, to the end he may there learn what concerns his Salvation, and see with his eyes, and hear with his ears the voice of God, and this Angel which represents his person, and who by sound of Trumpet, and in the midst of Flames and Fires proclaims those Laws and Commands of which we must not be ignorant, if we be men. CHAP. XXVI. The subversion of Idols. I Am, The first Commandment of God. saith he, thy God, and thy Lord, thou shalt have no other God than me, and thou must not make to thyself any Idol, to adore it, Behold the first Thunderbolt darted against Idolaters, Non habebis Deos a●enos coram mc. Exod. 20. v. 3. Non facies tibi sculptile, etc. Exod. 20. v. 4 Magicians, Atheists, Sorcerers, Diviners, and all those, who by a Sacrilegious worship, by horrid impiety, by abominable Superstitions, or in any manner whatsoever, adore any other than God, unto whom all the honours which are rendered unto his Images do relate, whose rays discover, as it were, to our eyes, what is hidden from them. Whence it evidently follows, that those Grammarians are ignorant in the terms of the Sacred Bible, who call an Idol any kind of Image; for we ought not properly to call Idols, but those counterfeit and Sacrilegious figures, which the wicked will have pass for Divinities. Otherwise God had not commanded Moses to set up a Serpent in the Desert, and he had not placed on the side of the Sanctuary the Images of Cherubins, and therefore the forbidden Idols are those which Superstition, Impiety, or some inordinate passion will adore, and by this means ravish from God the honour which is due unto him, as unto the Lord of all things, and who is wont, either soon or late, to punish all those that prove rebellious unto his most holy commands. For he is a powerful and zealous God, who visits the iniquities of Fathers even in the Cradles and Sepulchers of Children, to revenge even unto the third and fourth generation, but whose mercies are infinite, for all those that love and honour him as their God. CHAP. XXVII. An Edict against Blasphemers. THou shalt not take the name of God in vain. The Second Commandment. Non assumes nomen Domini Dei tui in vanum, etc. Exod. 20. v. 7. That is to say, thou shalt not be so bold as to borrow this most holy name to authorize thy perjuries, thy false oaths, and thy depraved Customs. Blasphemers, and you who so easily swear, behold a coal drawn out of the fire of Mount Sina to burn those accursed tongues which without necessity, without reverence, and contrary to all truth, impudently riffe the ineffable name of God, and of his Saints. This language is execrable in the mouth of a Devil, Criminal in that of an Atheist, and what will it then be issuing from the heart and lips of a Christian? Nevertheless it is now an ornament in the discourses of Cavaliers; they are the threats of Ranters, the Vizards under which the most horrid treacheries are concealed, the veils wherewith a disloyal Oath is covered, and the furious ingredient of the most brutish and blindest passions. CHAP. XXVIII. The Sanctification of the Sabbath. REmember to sanctify the Sabbath day. The third Commandment. Memento ut diem Sabbati sanctifices. Exod. 20. v. 8. This Sanctification was scarce any other than that with which we are now obliged to celebrate the Feasts of the Saints, and Sundays. This is then a day of repose. This was a day of rest, in remembrance of that on which God took his, Sex enim diebusfecit Dominus caelum & terram, & mare, & omnia quae in eyes sunt, & requievit die septimo, etc. Exod. 20. v. 11. seven days after the Creaation of the World, and to the end every week we might have a set time to think on this amiable benefit, and to render thanks for it unto our Creator. It was done also to the end the Hebrews might have this day to celebrate that of their departure out of Egypt, and of their deliverance; and that all men and maidservants might at least have this day to give some ease unto their labours. Plutarch was then deceived, who affirms that the Hebrews had Instituted this Sabbath in honour of Bacchus, as well as the other Gentiles, who believed that it was done in honour of Saturn; for the ground of this Feast was no other than what I newly related; And the Order observed in gathering up of the Manna was but for the same end. CHAP. XXIX. The duty of Children towards their Parents. HOnour thy Father and Mother, The fourth Commandment. that thy days may be long upon the earth, which the Lord thy God will give thee. Honora Patrem tuum & matrem tuam, ut sis longaevus super terram, quam Dominus Deus dabit tibi. Exod. 20. v. 12. In truth, it is a very reasonable thing to bear respect and love, to secure and obey those to whom, next unto God, we own our lives; and we must be more insensible and more unnatural than beasts, to refuse these affectionate duties to our Parents, and to those whom we ought to esteem as Fathers, Mothers, and Superiors, such as heaven hath placed over our heads to rule and govern us, either concerning temporal or spiritual matters. We must banish then out of the world, and out of Families, all those little Dragons and domestic Vipers which have neither teeth, claws, gall, nor poison, but to tear the heart and bowels in which they have been form and conceived, and to destroy those of whom they hold their lives. All houses ought to be Temples consecrated unto love and piety, as that which was built at Rome in lieu of a Prison, where a young Lady had nourished her Mother with her own Milk, seeing the Gaolers hindered her from carrying any food to her. O holy piety! where are now these Temples and Altars? where do we see such Daughters give suck unto their Mothers, as this gallant Roman did? or Fathers to have Daughters like this other of whom Valerius Maximus makes mention, Valer. Max. lib. 5. who found out the means to nourish her Father in the same manner, and had the honour to be the Mother of her Father, who rendered his last sighs in her bosom, sucking a drop of Milk from her breast? Moreover, if I am not deceived, can there be found more Daughters than Sons, who work the like Miracles? their Sex is more inclinable to sweetness and piety, and to those amiable tendernesses which reach even to the highest pitch of generosity. There have been heretofore Men, who desiring to suffer death for their Fathers, have rendered themselves immortal. Such a one was that Lock-smith of Toledo, who exposed himself unto the extremest tortures to free his Father, and to obtain his life, with his pardon. But the example of Alexius, Son to the Emperor Isaac, is more illustrious, who in the midst of the Acclamations of Greece, which saluted him King, had no ears, but to hear the plaints of his Father, no eyes, but to behold his miseries, and no power, but to replace him on his Throne, and in the Empire, whereof his Brother had deprived him. It is not then against this young Prince, nor against his like, that Sina will shoot poisonous Darts, and deadly Arrows, as against Parricides, but on the contrary, after a long sequel of years, they shall have lived in this world, the course of their glory will not find its period, but in Eternity, which can never have an end. CHAP. XXX. A sentence of Death against Murderers. THou shalt not kill. The fift Commandment. Nonoccides. Exod. 20. v. 13. This Precept doth not only forbid those execrable Murderers, whose Swords and Daggers are plunged into men's bosoms, and those horrid butcheries where fury is animated against a body to gnaw it as a Vulture would do his prey, or like a Tiger, to tear and eat it even to the bones, or to consume it with a slow fire like a Devil, whose torments give death without taking away life. It is then by this Law, that God prohibits not only Murders, but all sorts of exterior violences and injuries, which may be offered unto the body and life of our Neighbour. It is also a Sentence of death pronounced by the mouth of God against all those who are causers of other men's deaths, and make no more account of a man's life than of a fly. I would gladly know whether they find in the Decalogue a Challenge, an assassination, and all those violences which are practised upon a man, as upon a beast. I would willingly see them making their randezvous and assignations upon Mount Sina, where they shall behold a God thundering and lightning over their heads; but it would be more grateful unto me to see them performing an honourable penance in this life, and satisfying Justice and Piety before their deaths, than afterwards to expect an Eternity of punishments and severities. CHAP. XXXI. The Triumph of Chastity. THou shalt not commit Adultery. The sixth Commandem●●t. Non●●aechaberis. Exod. 20. v. 14. Honour ought not to be less precious unto men than life, and if both were in danger, it is certain we should rather abandon the last than the first, and say as the Ermine, Motto of the Ermine. Malo mori quam f●●●ari. I had rather die than receive a stain. For my part, I admire that Christian Woman, who in the time of Maxentius, plunged a Dagger in to her heart, to end her life by eternising her honour. For indeed it is a glorious Death to find by a particular inspiration from Heaven a Purple Robe in our blood, and in our tears a veil of white Satin to cover our purity, which is the soul of our life, and the glory of the body. This is the Nuptial garment which we must never put off even in the Sepulchre, and he that is clothed with it, aught to be so full of respect and circumspection as he must even blush (saith Tertullian) at his own virtue; And if we meet with Souls, which have impudence enough not to change Countenance, neither in respect of God, who looks upon them, nor in regard of men, who behold them, they shall one day feel him whom they have not seen, and such as have been Complices or Witnesses of their Crimes shall be their Executioners. And then shall all the Lightnings of Hell enkindle Flames to stifle theirs, and lascivious hands, wand'ring and impure eyes, unchaste breasts, Maegeras heads, Diabolical hearts, and the fruits or abortions of Adultery and Fornication shall be seen in the same fire. CHAP. XXXII. Against the unjust usurpation of other men's goods. THou shalt not Steal. The seventh Commandment. Non furtum facies. Exod. 20. v. 15. Alas! how many unknown Thiefs are there in Country, Houses, and Cities! That wise Senator who said that Gibbetts and Gallows were only for the miserable, spoke truth. The spoils made by a Vulture or a Wolf in one hour are greater than all those petty thefts which a thousand Flies can commit in a year; Yet more Flies are taken in an hour, than Wolves in many years. There are some Fishes in the Sea which take and devour others, but are scarce ever taken themselves; There are others which seize on all, and part with nothing. What pity would it be if the Planets should draw up all the humours of the Earth without letting fall one single drop of dew? Motto of the Hook. Capior ut capiam. There are some also who bear for their Devise that Motto of the Hook; I suffer not myself to be taken, but that I may take others; And yet themselves are the first who cry out thiefs. This sport would be passable, if we were not obliged to restore all that we have taken, detained, or unjustly required. But restitution is unto theft, what the shadow is to the Body, and a Man must either restore in this World, if he be able, or be eternally damned; This is a strange dilemma; let Men think of it what they please. CHAP. XXXIII. Condemnation of false witnesses and Liars. THou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour. The eight Commandment. Non loqueris contra proximum tuum salsum testimonium. I have seen certain ancient aenigmaes, where the tongue was painted on a Throne in the form of a Queen, who carried life and death in her Hand. In effect, there needs but a good word to save the lives of a thousand Innocents', and a bad one to render them all culpable. War, Plague, Famine, and the scourges of Heaven and Earth have never committed so many Murders, and given so many wounds as this little mischievous twoedged Knife. It is this Murdering blade with which Brothers and Sisters cut one another's Throats. The Mouth of a Liar, of an Hypocrite, of an Impostor, of a Backbiter, of a False witness, of a Flatterer, of a Traitor, and a Calumniator, was for this reason most justly called an Arcenal, out of which all the arms of death, and all the instruments of misery are taken. It is also a fatal source out of which issue a thousand poisonous streams, which flow as well over Cities as Villages: The whole World is subject unto these cruel inundations, which raise tempests in the midst of Hearts, and drown the most holy amities. There are also dead waters, which are sometime more dangerous than the most impetuous torrents and the most Rapid Rivers. There are some who scoff, play the buffoons, and by't when they smile. We ought to fear nothing so much as those remedies of Empirics, which have a sugured outside, and a little leaf gold wherewith they cover a poisoned pill. You shall sometimes see also these kind of people, using criminal compliances, and flattering the disease when we see them, and irritating it when they think themselves unknown. But nevertheless God hath mortal hatreds for these little Tyrants, who wage War against the first verity, and above all he will cause the excess of his anger to be felt by those who daily set to sale the reputation of others, and to such as will bid the most. These are certain little Pigmy Spirits, which desire to become Giants by debasing others. Sunt homicidi interfectores fratrum, & sunt homicidi detractores eorum. S. Clem. Ep. 1. And since St. Clement after St. Peter saith, that there are two sorts of Murders, the one by the Hand, and the other by the Tongue, I may style as well those who commit the last, as well as the first, Murderers, Executioners, Assassins' and Cannibals, which cat more raw than roasted flesh, and live only upon the honours, goods, and lives of other Men: But since God is the same Verity, it is unto him we ought to remit the sentence and condemnation of these accursed Tongues for the other World, although it be the most usual course of his Justice and Providence, to cause, even in this World, truth to shine forth, and to engrave it with sensible lights on the foreheads and in the consciences of Criminals. CHAP. XXXIV. The Tomb of Concupiscence. THou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's Wife nor any thing that is his. The two last Commandments. Non concupisces domum proximi tui: nec desiderabis uxorem ejus. Exod. 20. v. 17. Some there are who imagine that it is sufficient to have a vermilion colour upon their Cheeks, and for the rest it little imports what they have upon their Bodies. These are Sepulchers outwardly white and inwardly inwardly eaten with Worms; fair and clear waters, but empoisoned; bodies clothed in Satin and Velvet, but eaten with Cankers and ordures. And such are those who figure to themselves that it is enough for them to put no man to death, and not publicly to ravish Maids, to make a prey of their lubricity, but otherwise that it is lawful to bear a cut throat in their hearts, and to make their souls a retreat for all sorts of impurity, where like so many Harpees they devour at least by their unjust desires all that their eyes behold. These are strange Maxims, whereof the Devils themselves have been the first Authors: but it is a brutish Ignorance, and a stupid blindness not to discern, that both good and evil proceeds from the heart, and that our desires are like so many Western gales, which may cause fair days; and as many Northern Winds which occasion foul and stormy weather. But a worldly and libertine soul will tell me, that there is much trouble in it, and that we must be blind, deaf, dumb, and leprous, not to feel the wounds of those darts which pass suddenly through our senses; and I will answer her, that we must be Turks and no Christians to give up ourselves for a prey, and for a mark unto all the shafts, which the World, Flesh, and Hell use to shoot at us. But I confess that it is very difficult never to be surprised; yet it is sufficient, First, if it be possible never to give the least occasion thereunto. Secondly, to avoid dangers, namely, when they are discovered. Thirdly, we must often replace in our minds a Hell, a death, a life, and a Jesus, who died only to preserve us from them. Fourthly, we must always remain in a diffidence of ourselves, and place all our hopes on God. Fiftly, we must have always arms in our hands not to be surprised by this roaring Lion, who both day and night walks round about us. Sixthly, the prize we expect, and the victory which shall crown our Combats, is no mean consolation. Seventhly, we must play the Philosophers, studying the qualities of our desires and temptations, to the end, having discovered the Nature of the disease, we may apply such remedies as are proper for it. Eighthly, we must withdraw ourselves from objects: For these are lights, which dazzle near at hand, and afar off have scarce any lustre at all. Ninthly, we must dry up the spring of our desires and concupiscences, mortifying our bodies, and reducing our souls to such a condition, as we might desire nothing but what is good and honest. Tenthly, we may sometime discover the error of our desires and fancies, and contemplate that with horror, which we desire with so much passion; And we shall perceive as well as Raymundus Lullius, that all is but a Canker, an Ulcer, an infectious and stinking dunghill covered over with a bit of Taffeta, or some small piece of fine Holland. In fine, we ought to be well employed, and to imitate that brave Captain who commanded his Army to march always in Battle-array, either in time of Peace or War, and even upon his own lands, that he might not be surprised. CHAP. XXXV. An Abridgement of the Law. THe Law of God and Moses then, both in general, and in particular, forbids all sorts of persons of what Condition, Sex, Age, or Country they either are, or may be. First, all Idolatry, Infidelity, contempt of Sacred things, Magick-Art, Sorceries, Divinations, Superstitious Worships, mistrusts of God's goodness, Presumption of their own forces, Languishment, Tepidities, Hypocrisies, Irreverences, Sacrileges and Impieties. Secondly, Swearing without necessity, Blasphemies, false Oaths, Execrations, Derision of holy things and words of Scripture, as also of all that God hath either said, done, or revealed. Thirdly, on Holidays, all exercises of labour and Commerce, or any other employment whatsoever, if it be not of necessity, or if it may divert us from the holy entertainments of Piety, and the repose we ought to have on those great days, when surely labour would be yet less Criminal in the sight of God, than the impieties and Irreverences which are very often used in the most Sacred places, and during the divine Service, of Almighty God. Fourthly, Disdains, contempts, abandonments, ingratitudes, hatreds, and disobedience towards Fathers and Mothers, Kindred, and Superiors: As also the excessive liberty we give unto our Servants, Children, and Domestiques. Fifthly, Quarrels, Enmities, Aversions, Wranglings, Violences, Extortions, Treacheries, Injustices, Vexations, unjust Duels, Mutilations of members, Poison, Murders, Aborsions, Hatreds, Outrages, cruelties towards our Neighbours, and ourselves by some violent passion, which may pass even unto death, or at least to the desire of it. Sixthly, Fornications, Adulteries, Incests, Rapes, Deflowrings, Clandestine Marriages, Sacrileges, Pollutions, the ill use of Marriage, and so many other abominable things, and unworthy of a man, which make Sepulchers in Houses, Laystalls in beds, and a great Sodom of the whole World, where without punishment is seen all that leads unto impudicity, as dishonest thoughts, impure words, wanton glances, kisses, touchings, Pictures, Statues, Images, Books, Letters, Plays, Ballads, Satieties, and Feast, wherewith amidst good Wine, and good cheer, very often Love-charms and poisons are mingled. Seventhly, Thefts, Robberies, Plundring, Correspondency with Thiefs; Counterfeiting of Seals, Keys, Letters, Schedules, Wills, Bonds, deceitful Purchases, false Aequisitions, false Sales, false Money, Frauds, Surprises, Usurpations of the goods of the Church, Simony, Usury, Delays of payment, crafty devises in Law, Superfluous expenses, Cheats, Extortions, and the barbarous usage of the Poor. Eighthly, false Depositions, Calumnies, defamatory Libels, Lies, Impostures, Perfidiousness, Dissimulations, Flatteries and Treasons. Ninthly, Enterprises and designs against Marriage, dishonest Plots, which are done by words, gestures, signs, allurements; by Epistles, with desires more becoming a Devil than a man. In fine, the passion of Possessing other men's goods wrongfully, and contrary to Justice, which seems to be born with men, and to die with them, if it be not stifled with the ashes of the Sanctuary, and of Sina; otherwise we shall find inflamed firebrands of Hell, which will never be quenched, but punish our sins for all eternity. CHAP. XXXVI. The ancient Policies. AFter God had given unto Moses the Moral Laws which are engraven in hearts by the finger of Nature, C. 2. q. 104. a. 1. he added those which according to Saint Thomas, have a certain mutual relation in order to man, and which of themselves cannot oblige, but only by reason God hath so ordained it. This then, to speak properly, concerns the Policy and government of people in Commonwealths, or else of servants in Families, which would be but a Labyrinth of disorders, an Abyss of confusions, a Tower of Babel, and little Babylonians, if they had no Laws which are as it were the Mothers of Peace, Mistresses which watch day and night to instruct, reprehend, and direct those who chance to fail in their duty. An excellent with heretofore compared them to those little Mercury's which were placed at the corners of streets; but this is not enough, The excellency of Laws. for they are the Soul of the Universe, the spirit of the World, the Eyes of the Body, the Interpreters of Reason, the Oracles of Justice, the Angels of the great Council, the Governesses of Cities, silent Voices, Thunders which loudly roar against Criminals, the Arms of the Innocent, and the Intelligences which settle order in Heaven, Aeternitas mundi ex obedientiâ ad intelligentiam matricem. Apud Mathiam de Vienna, Philost. l. 1. c. 6. before they bring it on Earth, as some Disciples of Plato have observed; And it is peradventure for the same reason that the Babylonians, as Philostratus affirms, built Palaces where they used to administer Justice in form of a Heaven, where the stones were no other than Saphires, and the Arches of Clouds beset with Stars, which would have been taken for those of the Empyreal Heaven, if they had had as much motion as splendour and light. In fine, God is the principal Intelligence, who sets all things in order. His Laws establish order in the World, and this general order which may be discerned even in the bosom of Nature, Dixit praeterea Dominus ad Moysem: haec dices filiis Israël, etc. Exod. 20. v. 22. Responditque omnu populus una voce: Omnia verba Domini, quae locutus est, faciemus. Exod. 24. v. 3. Et mane consurgens aedificavit altare ad radices montis, & duodecim titulos per duodecimtribus Israël. Exod. 24. v. 4. Misitque Juvenes de filiis Is●aël, & obtulerunt holocausta, immolaveruntque victimas pacificas, Domino vitulos. Exod. 24. v. 5. Tulit itaque Moyses dimidiam partem●sanguinis, & misit in crateras, partem autemres●duam fudit super altar. Exod. 24. v. 6. Assumensque volumen foederis l●git, audiente populo: qui dixerunt, Omnia quae lacutus est Dominus faciemus, etc. Exod. 24. v. 7. Ille verò sumptum sanguinem respersit in populum, & ait: hic est. sanguis foederts quod pepigit Domintes vobiscum, etc. Exod. 24. v. 8. Moysi autem dixit, aftende ad Dominum tu & Aaron, Nadab, & Abihu, & septuaginta senes ex Israel. Exod. 24. v. 9 Lyranus, Cajetanus, Prados in Ezechielé. Et viderunt Deum Israel: & sub pedibus ejus quasiopus lapidis saphirini, & quasi caelum, cum serenum est. Exod. 24. v. 10. Solusque Moyses ascendet ad Dominum, & illi non appropinquabunt; nec populus ascendet cum eo. Exod. 24. v. 2. Cumque ascendisset Moses, operuit nubes montem. Evo. 24. v. 15 Et habitavit gloria Domini super Sinai, etc. Exod. 24. v. 16. Erat autem species gloriae Domini quasi ignis audens etc. Exod. 24. v. 17. Et fuit ibi Moyses quadraginta diebus, & quadraginta noctibus. Exod. 24. v. 18. out of which it never departs, but to guide us first unto God, as unto the Father of Unions, and unto the Author of Wisdom, who desiring orderly to rule and govern the whole Universe, was obliged to give Laws and Precepts, on which Policy ought to move as the Heavens do upon their Poles. Now, it had not been sufficient to have revealed them unto Moses, but it was necessary to publish them to all the people, to the end they might be obliged to observe them after their reception. Moses then declared unto the Hebrews all that God commanded them, unto which they all consented, crying out unanimously, that these Laws were just, and that they would willingly keep them. This was like an oath of fidelity, after which Moses erected an Altar at the foot of the Mountain, and raised twelve steps in reference to the twelve Tribes for whom he caused Holocausts to be offered up unto God by the hands of the first born of Israel which were born Priests in the Law of Nature. These Sacrifices being made, Moses gathered up in Cups, the one half of the blood of the Sacrifices, casting the rest upon the Altar; after which he took the Book of the Law to have it read unto the whole assembly, who having again accepted it, were sprinkled with the blood of the Victim, in witness of the Compact and agreement which had been newly made, and which they were inviolably to observe towards God. After this Ceremony, Moses went up to the Mountain with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy old men chosen out of the people of Israel, who had the honour to see God at a nearer distance, in the form of a young Prince surrounded with rays of glory, who had under his feet, as it were, a large Throne of Saphires, whose splendour resembled that which we see in the Skies, when they appear enameled with Stars sparkling like so many Diamonds. It was in this pomp and Magnific State God commanded Moses to draw near him, and to ascend higher, even to the top of Mount Sina, where being arrived, he was encompassed with a great Cloud, which covered the whole Mountain, and form as it were a great Pavilion of fire and cloud, through which the Majesty of God made itself felt and known, and where Moses spent forty days, and as many nights, without either eating or drinking, thereby keeping the first Lent which was ever celebrated. CHAP. XXXVII. The Adoration of the golden Calf. NOthing is so great a blemish unto Paganism, as to see the wisest and most learned amongst these Idolaters, rendering honours and adorations unto wood, stone, and living creatures; And even the first of their Gods, who abandons his Throne, and changeth his Thunderbolt and Sceptre for a Pencil to paint Goats and Hippocentaurs upon the Clouds: but it is a more ridiculous, and strange spectacle, in the time of Christianity, to see men and Demigods, who having lost all thoughts of Heaven and glory, to which they are ordained, descending even beneath themselves to adore brutish passions, and to set in the place of God and piety infamous Idols, Videns autem Populus quod moram faccret descendendi de monte Moses, etc. Et fecit exeis vitulum conflatilem: Di●cruntque, high sunt d●i tui, Israël, qui te eduxerunt de terra Agypti. Exo. 32. v. 17. imitating Aaron and the Israelites, who seeing that Moses stayed long upon the Mountain, where God detained him, to deliver him the Tables of the Law, were so stupid and ungrateful, as to make a golden Calf in imitation of the Serapis of Egypt, and to take it for their God, and Conductor in the remainder of their voyage. Did we ever hear of a more brutish blindness, and of a more execrable Idolatry? These Sacrilegious people, who had neither life nor liberty, but by Moses means, and by the almost continual Miracles which God wrought for their sake, prefer nevertheless their passions before both of them, and efface out of their souls all the remembrance of what had passed, to satisfy a foolish imagination, which made them contemn all manner of piety and gratitude. But who would have ever believed that Aaron, Dixitque ad eos Aaron: Tollite inaures aureas, de uxorum filiorumque & filiarum auribus, & afferte ad me. Exod. 32. v. 2. Quas cum ille accepisset, formavit opere fusorio, & fecit ex eit vitulum conflatilem, etc. Exod. 32. v. 4. Quod cum vidisset Aaron, adificavit altare coram co. Exod. 32. v. 5. who had been as it were the Interpreter of God and Moses, to work so many Miracles upon the people, should serve as the most fatal instrument of their Idolatry, Erecting with his own hands an Altar to this abominable Statue, and receiving the profane acclamations of all this people, who cried out, Behold, behold our gods! O God of Gods! What applauses, what congratulations, what solemnity! I know not whether the Devils have ever celebrated a Sabbath, or the Gentiles a feast more full of abominations. Methinks, I see Lucifer in the midst of his troops, when I behold Aaron amongst these people, who should rather suffer his throat to be cut by these ungrateful wretches, than give way to their impiety. Et sedit populus manducare & bibere, & surrexerunt ludere. Exod. 32. v. 6. Pro vitulo & cum vitulo vitulati sunt. Tertul. lib. de Jes. contra Psych. The Altar of Aaron is an Altar of Sacrilege, this High Priest is a prevaricator, their Religion is Idolatry, Perfumes are changed into Blasphemies, and instead of the ineffable name of Jehovah, the head of a Golden Calf is seen, about which, they laugh, they leap, they carouse, they eat, and commit a thousand sorts of impurities. Alas! What Sacrifices, what sports, Locutus est Dominus ad Maisen, dicens: Vade, descend; peccavit populus tuus, quem eduxisti de terra Aegypti. Exod. 32. v. 7. what festivals! Nevertheless, God, whose goodness is infinite, and who was not resolved to inflict the last punishment on these impious people, nor to destroy them for ever, but only in case no man should address himself to implore favour for them, revealed unto Moses what had passed, and knowing, that he could not forbear earnestly to call upon his clemency for these guilty men, he spoke unto him, just as if his hands had been tied behind him, and as if he could not have darted the Thunderbolts of his wrath, until Moses had consented thereunto. Moses, Dimitte me, ut irascatur furor meus contra eos, etc. Exod. 32. v. 10. said he, thy people have sinned against me, and their sin cryeth out for vengeance; but the prayers thou makest for them, keep back my arm, and I cannot cause my Lightnings to break forth, if thou dost not detain those ejaculations and flames which oppose me, and reinkindle my goodness, even in the bosom of my severest Justice. Not that God, St. Hieron. in 5 Da. niel. saith Saint Jerome, is changeable, or that he can change; for his nature is not subject to mutation, but the order of things may alter according to the course of his Divine Providence. We must not also imagine that his Decrees can be changed within himself, for they are eternal, Consilium Deus non mutat, sedrem, Greg. lib. 20. Moral. 24. and engraven in his proper Essence; all the change in this case befalls the souls of sinners, as they are absolved and freed from the pains they had merited. The which is done, not by any change in God, or in his Decrees, but in those against whom the sentence of condemnation had been given; and this change ariseth either from the goodness of God, or by the Intercession of his Saints. It is then for Moses sake, Faciamque te in gentem magnam. Exod. 32. v. 10. God will seem to alter his designs; for notwithstanding all that God said to him, his zeal passeth yet farther, and he refuseth all the offers made him, even of another people, and of a more ample Government, to assist these ungrateful persons. It seems, saith Saint Gregory, Charitas in sancto ejus pectore ex persecutione ●●nescebat magis. Greg. 27. Mor. 7. that love and compassion were the more inflamed by the breath of the Injuries and Affronts which were offered him; just as water which becomes the hotter, the more cold the air is which incompasseth it; and a fire whose ardours become more violent, perire malint cum his qui sibi crediti sunt, quam sine illit salvos esse. Chrysost. Hom. 12. in cap. 1. S. Joan. Placatusque est Dominus ne faceret malum, quod locutus fuerat adversus populum suum. Exod 32. v. 14. Et reversus est Morses de monte, portans duas tabulas testimonii in manu sua, scriptas ex utraque parte. Exod. 32. v. 15. Cumque appropinquasset ad castra, vidit vitulum & choros, iratusque valde, projecit de manu tabulas, & confregit eas ad radicem montis. Exo. 32. v. 19 Arripiensque virtulum quem fecerant, combussit, & contrivit usque ad pulverem, quem sparsit in aquam. Exo. 32.20. Dixitque ad Aaron, quid tibi fecit hic populus, ut induceres super eum peccatum maximum? Exod. 32. v. 21. Cui ille respondit, etc. Exod. 32. v. 22. Et stans in porta castrorum, ait: Si quis est Domini, jungatur mihi. Congregatique sunt ad eum omnes fitu Levi. Exod. 32. v. 26. S. Greg. in 1 Reg. 14. Rupertns & alti passim. Quibus ait; haec dicit Dominus Deus Israel, ponat vir gladium super femur suum; Ice, & reddite de porta usque ad portam, etc. Exod. 32. v. 27. proportionably as the cold which presseth it is more forcible. Behold, saith Saint John Chrysostom, the Antiperistasis of perfect Charity, wherein all hearts which have any charge of souls, aught to find the increase of their most holy and just ardours. And this is what Moses did in the midst of the contempts, and persecutions of all his people, for whom, when he had obtained some easement of pain, and some diminution of the punishments they had deserved, he descended from the Mountain, carrying between his arms the Tables, in which the Law was written on both sides, which he thought not yet convenient to give unto such unworthy people and polluted with the most heinous of all Sacrileges; but having broken them in pieces, he went directly to cast down the Golden Calf, and dissolve it into dust, which he afterward threw into the stream of a torrent, which issued forth of Mount Sina, and passed through the midst of the Hebrews Camp; to the end, they might swallow down these funestous Relics, and that no man might ever behold them without horror. Afterwards he blamed Aaron as the Author of this crime, who endeavoured to excuse himself, relating to him in order what had passed, the which did not yet divert Moses from doing what his zeal inspired him: For, from thence he came to the entrance of the Camp, where making a stand, he cried out, that all that were of God's party, and had not participated of Idolatry, should follow him, which the Children of Levi hearing, whose Tribe had continued most faithful unto God, put themselves in a ring about Moses, who following the Sovereign Power of Life and Death, which he had received from God, commanded them to betake themselves to their Arms, and lay about them, without sparing any of the guilty, either Brother, Friend, Neighbor, or any person amongst these impious men; so that the number of the dead amounted to three and twenty thousand. Behold, a strange massacre; nevertheless, it is an effect of meekness which hath changed its countenance, and taken that of severity. These are shafts which issued out of a heart, the fullest of Pity and Clemency which was then in the world, but shot by the hand of Justice. If such as govern Republics and States, had nothing but Crowns to recompense their merits, Misericordia & veritas custodiunt Regein, & roboratur clementia thronus ejus. Exod. 20. v. 28. and no Thunderbolts to punish the wicked, quickly would Insolences, Treacheries, Concussions, Robberies, and all the abominations of the Earth be seen holding the Reigns of Empires; and in fine, Virtue groaning under the feet of Vice and Impiety. A Prince ought to have the meekness of a Lamb, and the terror of a Lion, otherwise men abuse him, and his power seems but for a support unto the blackest dissolutions. The people also ought to love with fear, otherwise their love degenerates into contempt. I know that Thrones have no foundation more solid and immovable, than when they are supported by the hearts of their Subjects; but if Guards be not placed about them, as so many Pillars, there needs but one storm to overthrow them. It cannot be doubted, but this kind of mixture is full of difficulty: but as a body is never in perfect health, but when all its four humours are in an equal temper; so Kingdoms are never better governed, than when they equally use meekness and severity. Choler is the touchstone of Virtue, Rigorous Meekness. and that person hath no soul, who cannot be irritated when occasion is given. Tyranny hath been always insupportable, but powers sweetly rigorous, have never been but the objects of the most just affections; Cruelty is fit for Devils, and Justice is apportioned unto men; It is the Rod of God, and the Sceptre, which he was pleased to put into the hands of the Sovereign Magistrate, and of his Lieutenants, to render men, as it were, partakers of his power, and to adopt them unto his Empire: We must not wonder then, if Moses, who was as his Lieutenant over his people, made them sometimes feel the weight of his hand, which had so often obliged and filled them with his magnificences; but I should rather remain astonished, how a single man could undertake so great a work, and compass it with a few selected Children, who enrolled themselves under his Standard. Children, saith he, let us go; who loves God, A fair saying of a Captain, Who loves God, let him follow me. Feceruntque filii Levi juxta sermonem Moisi, cecideruntque in die illa quasi viginti tria millia hominum. Exod. 32. v. 28. let him follow me; And presently in the head of some Levites, he assaults, he defeats, and puts three and twenty thousand men to the sword. Behold, I beseech you, what a man animated with the Spirit of God is able to do: Admire also the power and authority of Moses, who is in the midst of his Troops, as the eye in the head, and the heart in the centre of the body, to watch, to heat, and, as it were, to defend every Levite. Behold, an army of Stags led by a Lion, which is more dreadful than an army of Lions conducted by a Stag. So Aaron was but a timorous Stag, when he gave way unto the murmur of the people; and Moses a generous Lion, when he himself plunged his Sword into the bosom of Rebellion and Impiety. It is much easier to find Soldiers, than a brave Captain: Paul. Aemil. lib. 6. Hist. Franc. And it was for this cause Heraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, coming unto Henry King of England, to induce him to go in person to the Holy War, this Blessed Man seeing that nothing but gifts were presented him, answered, That he had not so much need of money, as of a good Conductor: for one man of Courage, Authority, and Experience, is worth a world of people. And this was the occasion that heretofore the Grecians esteemed more Epaminondas, than all the Commonwealth of Thebes, which never enjoyed Liberty, but under this brave Governor. From hence, Advice to Noblemen. the great ones, the Nobles, and all that are in office, may learn how they ought to comport themselves in erterprises of importance, since on them usually the safety of a City, Province, Kingdom, and even Christianity itself depends: Above all, let them learn the art to mix Honey with Gall, and always to join Power with Meekness, and never to sever these two sisters which are the Tutelaries and Mistresses of a good Conduct: And if it should sometimes happen, that both of them had a mind to be scrupulous, Reason ought to resolve their doubts, and rather incline a thousand times unto Mercy, than to have the least shadow of Cruelty. To this effect, it is fit to set ourselves in the place of others, and to treat them, as we would desire to be treated ourselves, if capable thereof: We may pass farther, if we please, and without breaking the Laws of Piety, consecrate and offer ourselves up for a Victim, and receive, at least, into our own hearts the blow which was ready to fall on others. Thus did Moses, Reversusque ad Dominum, ait: Obsecro, pectavit populus iste peccatum maximum, feceruntque sibi Deos aurtos: Aut dimitte eye hanc noxam. Exod. 32. v. 31. who fearing lest a more just and severe hand might strike these poor Criminals, which were left after so bloody a slaughter, lifted up his yet bloody hands towards Heaven, to the end, Justice might have at least some cause to become flexible at the sight of his exploits, and that the mildness of a Judge might not condemn him of an over indulgent remissness. Hear then Sovereign Powers, hear this poor Prince, this generous Patriarch, this incorruptible Judge, this Father of Israel, the Conductor of God's people, and the Lieutenant General of his Troops. Alas! my God, saith he, cast a gracious look upon thy people, which are only mine, as being committed by thee unto my charge; It is a Pledge thou hast put into my hands, to restore it back unto thyself; It is a Flock which thou hast nourished in the desert, of which thou hast made me the Shepherd; a Bark which thou hast drawn out of the billows of the Red Sea, over which thou hast established me the Pilot; Slaves which enjoy no liberty, but by thy favour; and children who can acknowledge no other Father, and King, than thyself: They have offended thee, I confess, but thy goodness surpasseth there iniquity, and the misery in which they are now involved, is not a subject for thy Justice, but for thy mercy; all the favours thou hast conferred on them, would not have their last effects, if thou didst not continue thy graces to them; and the desert, which thou hast for their sake rendered a Paradise of blessings and delights, would have been a fair way to lead them into a precipice. It is sufficiently known, how far thy power extends, and that there needs but one of thy looks to consume the whole world with lightning, and to cloud all the lights of Heaven; but thou art also able with one word to repair Nature, and thy goodness can in a moment raise a thousand Trophies in the midst of thy severest Justice; and besides, dost thou not see blood enough already spilt to satisfy thy vengeance, and to efface the memory of one crime? This example is general enough to excite every one in particular; and of all those who are left alive, there is not one which may not be innocent, and desire to merit favour. In fine, Aut si non facis, deal me de libro tuo, quem scripsisti. Exod. 32. v. 32. I humbly, in their behalf, request this favour of thee, and I beseech thee rather to blot me out of thy Book of Life, than not to grant them pardon; I had rather become a subject of thy wrath, and that there may be no memory of me, than it should be said, That I having been their Father and Conductor, did afterward serve for an executioner in their last punishments. It would be an eternal regret unto me to survive them, and the glory I have had to have been their Captain and Judge, would leave me nothing but shame and confusion. I humbly beseech thee then, yet once more to strike me out of thy Book, and let me die with them or for them; for I had rather be the Sacrifice, than the Sacrificer, and my loss will be always less, than that of a whole people. Behold, Lord, the sum of my desires, and the most ardent Prayers I can offer; it is my Heart which speaks to thee, it is Piety which makes me thus importune thee, it is my Duty and Honour which are engaged, and I should not have so often received thy benefits, if I did not also hope for this. Do not then deny me, O infinite Goodness, and whatsoever thou shalt please to determine, Remember that I have ever preferred thy people, before myself; and that the love I have for them, cannot rest satisfied, if it obtain not the favour it hopes, or if it serve not for an host unto the Sacrifice which is due unto thy most just indignation. Was there ever any one heard to speak with a more ardent zeal, a more sincere love, with a more generous piety, a less interressed heart? Many there are who would willingly do good, but they would have the power to do it, like the Sea without trouble and diminution, or like the Sun and Stars, whose treasuries are not less filled with lights and influences, though we receive them on every side, or else like a Torch, which lights others, without being itself, either obscured or extinguished. But when we must lose what we gave, when we must be impoverished to enrich others, we do like Hedgehogs and Tortoises, which scarce dare hold up their heads, and show nothing but Bristles and Shells. There are others who give, but yet with trouble, and when themselves have no more need of it, or when they have so much, that the abundance becomes cumbersome: But Charity is a spring, which never stops, and never ceaseth to run, but when she hath nothing left for herself. If she be found amongst the Gentiles, as in a Leonidas, in a Fabius Maximus, in the Tegeates, in the Horatij, in an infinity of others who have sacrificed their lives for their Country, and for their confederates; These were but slight draughts compared with those of Moses, who offered not only his body and life for a time, but even his soul, and the pretensions he had to an Empire which shall never have end. He deserved also some alleviation of the punishments which were ordained for this people; Loquebatur autem Dominus ad Moisen fancy ad faciem, sicut solet loqui homo ad amicum suum. Exod. 33. v. 11. Stabantque ipsi, & ader abant per fores tabernaculorum suorum. Exod. 33. v. 10. Tu autem, vade & duc populum istum quo locutus sum tibi: Angelus meus praecedet te. Exod. 32. v. 34. and although God at first seems to refuse it, yet either soon or late he will obtain it. It was likewise in recompense of this zeal, he was so happy as to speak face to face to his God, who treated with him in the same manner, as one most intimate friend might do with an other. The people themselves were witnesses of this Colloquy, and every one standing at the entry of his Tent, adored God, turning himself toward the Pavilion of Moses, upon which, the Pillar had made his Station, and gave light enough to manifest this whole Mystery. In fine, the favour of favours, God shown unto Moses, was in giving him an Angel for his Conductor, who marked out to him all the ways by which he should pass. CHAP. XXXVIII. The re-establishment of the Laws and the Ceremonies of the Old Testament. THere are some implacable Spirits in the World which cannot be overcome, either by force or mildness; which become more obstinate, the more men endeavour to bend them, and excite them unto pity. Ac deinceps: Praecide, ait, tibi duas tabulas lapideas instar priorum, & scribam super eas verba quae habuerunt tabulae quas fregisti. Exod. 34. v. 1. Quo transeunte coram eo, ait: Dominator Domine Dous, misericors & clemens, patience, etc. Exod. 34. v. 6. Defcendebat columna nubis, & stabat ad ostium, loquebaturque cum Moise. Exod. 33. v. 9 But God on the contrary hath the Bowels of a Father, and a Heart so full of goodness and mercy, as he can hardly resolve to punish those injuries which are done unto him: And even at present for those who have erected Altars against him, and placed instead of him, a Golden Calf, he re-establisheth Laws as in testimony of the agreement he makes with them; in acknowledgement whereof, all the most singular of all the names he received, was that of Meekness, when Moses called him his Lord, and his Clement and Merciful, his Patient and Sincere God. This indeed, changed the thoughts of Moses, who did not believe that his Master had called him to treat him so sweetly. These were the terms he used in speaking unto God, upon Mount Sina, where this holy Man having withdrawn himself, God was, as it were, covered with a cloud, which did only permit him to see the back of him, whom he heard distinctly answering his voice and desires. This day was celebrious: First, Observa cuncta quae bodie mando tibi, etc. Exod. 34. v. 11. In respect God himself commanded Moses to observe exactly all that he said unto him. Secondly, In regard of the promises he made him for the advantage of his people. Thirdly, Fuit ergo ibi cum Demino quadraginta dies & quadraginta noctes, panem non comedit, & equam non bibit. Exod. 34. v. 28. Cumque descenderet Moses d●monte Sinai, tenebat duas tabulas testimonii, & ignorabat quod cornuta esset facies sua, etc. Exod. 34. v. 29. Videntes autem Aaron & filii Israël cornutam Moysi faciem, timuerunt propè accedere. Exod. 34. v. 30. Vocatique ab ●o reversi sunt, etc. Exod. 34. v. 31. Sex di●bus facietis opus: septimus dies erit vobis sanctus, etc. Exod. 35. v. 6. Quisqu●s vestrum sapiens est, veniat, & faciat quod Dominus imperavit. Exod. 35. v. 10. Tabernaculum scilicet, & tectum ejus, etc. Exod. 35. v. 11. for the Precepts and Laws he vouchsafed to give him, for this end detaining him forty day's days without either eating or drinking, which being passed, he descended from the Mountain, with ardent eyes, and an inflamed countenance, and his hair shining like so many rays, which form on his head certain horns of light; so that Aaron and the Israelites durst not approach him; but when he called them, they accosted him as an An Angel come from heaven, and from his mouth learned all that God had said and commanded. First, touching the Sanctification of the Sabbath. Secondly, concerning the Offerings and Sacrifices. Thirdly, as to the building of the Tabernacle, the Ark, the Candlesticks, Basins, Altars, and Ornaments of the high Priest. In fine, as to all that concerned Religion, and the Ceremonies of the Old Testament. CHAP. XXXIX. Of the Ornaments and other Utensils ordained for the Sanctuary, which were useful in the Ceremonies of the Law of Moses. IT is not enough to look on the figures of the Old Testament, as we would do on those Landscapes and Pictures which have only draughts to give some satisfaction to the eyes, and to represent the Ideas of a Painter, who took a vanity to mingle with his colours the fancies of his mind, and the most pleasing errors of his imagination. God himself was pleased from the beginning of this world, and when Nature was only in her rough draught, to take the Pencil into his hand to form on the most beautiful faces, and on the most excellent bodies, the features of him who is the Character of his substance, and the Portrait of his Divinity. The shadows also of the law of Nature, and of the written Law, have served but to hid the lights of the New Testament, and we should scarce ever cast our eyes upon these fair Clouds, but to behold some Suns issuing forth of them. This was, saith Philo, the most usual practice of the faithful who lived in Alexandria, and made their most holy Meditation upon the most sacred Scriptures: For they not only tied themselves, saith he, to the terms of the Hebrew letter, but passed even into the most spiritual sense, there to see and understand the verities which were in a manner veiled. It is fit here then to observe those which have been the most clearly represented in the Sanctuary, and under the principal Ornaments of the second Law. Rupertus, Greg. Hom. ult. in Ezekiel. Cyril. lib. 4. in Joan. But as I thought it not proper in the precedent Chapter, to relate in particular all the Laws of the ancient policy, by reason they are for the most part abrogated in the Law of Grace, and as it would have been contrary to the design of this book, which ought not to serve so much for curiosity as profit; So I ought not to stick longer here upon these Ceremonies which are no more in use, or which are accomplished, as so many figures of the Mysteries we believe, and daily behold. CHAP. XL. The Ark of the Old Testament. THe Ark of the Old Testament, was the figure of the Sacred humanity of Jesus, and of his holy Mother, who is in Heaven, as the Ark in the Holy of Holyes, S. Hierom. ad Eust. de Virg. & S. Greger. lib. 7. Regist. Ep. 30. that is to say in the bosom of God, who is Sanctity itself. It is also the Image of the Militant and triumphant Church, and of those holy Souls which lead there a holy life, and shall be one day like the wood of Sittim, that is to say, incorruptible, after the Resurrection. Secondly, the Ark had above it the Propitiatory, Fecit & propitiatorium, id est, oraculum, de auro mundissimo, etc. Exod. 37. v. 6. Duos citam Cherubim ex auro ductili, etc. Exod. 37. v. 7. as the Saints in Heaven have their King and Redeemer. Thirdly, it was encompassed with Cherubims, as the blessed are with Angels, and its being thus Crowned, only denoted the immortal Crowns which those brave Champions gained as the prize of their Victory. Fourthly, the Pot full of Manna, which was kept in the Ark, represented the remembrance Saints have of the Eucharist, which had been their Bread, their Manna, and Viaticum during all the Voyages they made in the Desert of this life. Fiftly, this Manna signified also the admirable goodness of God, as the Rod, his adorable power, and the Tables of the Law, his wisdom which governs and guides the whole Universe. Sixthly, Vestivitque eam auro purissimo intus ac foris. Exod. 37. v. 1. this precious Sanctuary was adorned with gold, which is the true Symbol of Love and Charity, which render the Saints both interiorly and exteriorly resplendent. Seventhly, Du●s Cherubin in singulis summitatibus propitiatorii, Extendentes alas, & tegentes propitiatorium, etc. Exod. 37. v. 9 as for the Cherubims which were in a manner fastened unto this fair Chariot of Glory and Majesty, and covered with their wings part of the Propitiatory; Who sees not that these are the glorious troops of the Saints and Angels which accompany the triumphant Humanity of a Man-God, and are the Ministers of God's commands, and his amiable Intelligences. In fine, the whole Ornament of the Sanctuary, as Vials, Censors, and all the wonders of this Miraculous fabric bore only the inanimated marks of those who shall live in eternity. CHAP. XLI. The Tabernacle. THe same agreeableness may be found in the Tabernacle, as in the Ark of the Testament: Nevertheless it was principally the Image of a Christian, 1 Corinth. 3. ad Eph. 3.17. Rom. 8.9. and of a holy soul, who as St. Paul saith, is a living and animated Temple, in which God resides, and where the holy Ghost makes his abode in the midst of Virtues. In vita illius. It was for this cause St. Bernard commended a most noble Lord, because he built Churches and Houses for his Religious, which were Temples eternally consecrated unto God. If any one will pass further into this Tabernacle, in the entry he shall find the Bath of Penance, and the Altar of Mortification; And then advancing into the Sanctuary, he shall see the three most precious utensils which were in that place, the Candlestick, the Table of Breads, the Altar of Perfumes and Incense. The Candlestick served only to chase away the darkness of ignorance. The Table of Breads is the Eucharist, which gives a perfect satiety. And the Altar of Perfumes, is that where the deliciousness and sweetness of prayers and ejaculations of the soul is more pleasing than all odoriferous smokes. There was also ten Curtains upon the Tabernacle, Feceruntque omnes corde sapientes ad explendum opus tabernaculi, cortinas decem, etc. Exod. 36. v. 8. Fecit opertorium tabernaculi de pellibus arietum rubricatis, aliudque desuper velamentum de pellibus byanthinis, Exod. 36. v. 19 Sic fecit in omnibus tabernaculi tabulis. Exod. 36. v. 22. which resembled the ten Precepts of the Law, under the shadow whereof, the Church and Christian souls sweetly take their repose. As for the skins of hair wherewith it was covered, we need not doubt also, but they were a Symbol of Penance. In fine, if the sheep's skins which were of a Red colour denoted Martyrs, the others which were of a Violet colour could only signify Virgins. There remains only the Tables elevated towards the four parts of the world, for a mark of the faith which was to be dilated throughout all the corners of the Earth, Ex quibus viginti ad plagam meridianam erant contra Austrum, etc. Exod. 36. v. 23. Fecit & velum de hyacinth; & purpura, etc. Exod. 36.31. and which had only the Apostles for their foundation and Pillar, who consequently serve as the Basis and support unto these Tables. I cannot forget the Veil which covered the Sanctuary, informing us, that between us and Heaven, there are shadows and clouds which hinder us from seeing God face to face. But let us hope that either soon or late these Curtains, Veils, and Clouds, will be withdrawn, and that the Angels will one day say unto us, as to St. Euphraxia: Let us go my dear Daughter, we have lived but too long, amidst the night, and under the shade of a body; Let us go into the Sanctuary, the Veil is taken away, and we shall now in peace, and at leisure enjoy the sight of the Holy of Holies, who is in the Sanctuary. CHAP. XLII. The Altar of Holocausts. BEsides the Altar of Perfumes within the Temple, Fecit & altar ho●ocausti de lignis Sittim, etc. Exod. 38. v. 1. Craticulamque ejus in modum retis fecit aeneam. Exod. 38. v. ●. there was that of Holocausts without, by reason of the fire and smoke which would have soiled the Tabernacle. This Altar was built of the wood of Shittim, in the midst whereof a kind of Gridiron appeared, which bore the wood, and the flaming Victim, and under a vacant place, a little hole was made to convey thence the Ashes; because fire was always to be there preserved evening and morning, to immolate a Lamb, and the rest of the day some other Victims. Behold the Altar for the Passion and Cross of Mount Calvary, which shall never be subject unto corruption, were it only for having been the Altar on which the incorruptible body of Jesus had been Sacrificed. Cujus cornua de ●●gulis procedebant, etc. Exod. 38. v. 2. The four horns of the Altar denoted the four corners of the World, where this Cross was to be preached; and the side-Window shown towards the East the Terrestrial Paradise, into which sin had cast, as it were, wood, to prepare a Pile for this amiable Phoenix, on which he was to be burnt by the flames of his love. The Gridiron represented the torments he was to endure, with an admirable patience like a Lamb, who had been designed to be sacrificed from the beginning of the world. This Altar hath also an admirable analogy with the heart of man, who like a Salamander, was to live in the fire, to immolate every hour his Passion, like so many Victims, and to be full of God, and devoid of all affection to creatures, incorruptible also in his desires, elevated by his faith, love and hopes, And then the very ashes would serve to conserve the memory of his Master's pains, and both day and night, fires, clarities, lights and victims would be there seen consecrated and offered unto God, with the spiritual Perfumes and Incense, which are the prayers of Saints. CHAP. XLIII. The Vestments of the High Priest. IT were to repass a Needle into a stuff on which the hand of the increated Wisdom had wrought, and to which the most learned men of the world have endeavoured to add some colours, If I should touch upon the mysterious garment of the Highpriest of the Old Testament. I may only then relate the number of them, and observe transitorily what is represented to us under these wonders. The first Vestment of the Highpriest was the Ephod, De byacintho ve ò & purpura, virmiculo, ac bysso, fecit vesses ●uibus indueretur Aaron, etc. Exo. 39 v. 1. where were engraven in Precious stones the names of the twelve Patriarches of the people of Israel, who had been the chief of their Race, Ipsique lapides duodecim sculpti erant nominibus duodecim tribuum Israël, singuli per nomina singulorum. Exod. 39 v. 14. and those unto whom God had promised a multiplication. It was also to remember them, and the twelve Tribes, during the Sacrifice, and to the end the people reading these names, might be excited to imitate the lives and examples of those who had so worthily born them. In fine, it was a mark that the Priest bore, not only the people in his heart, but also on his shoulders, in testimony of that love which was to be Active and Passive. This Ephod also was the figure of the yoke of the Gospel, and of that which Christians were to bear in imitation of the first Highpriest, who is no other than Jesus Christ, whose obedience having reached even to death, and whose love having closed his eyes in the midst of torments, was also represented on this Vestment. The second Vestment, was the Rational, Fecit & Rationate ●pere polymito, etc. Exod. 39 v. 8. which served to advertise the Priest, and Consequently the people of their duty. It was also as the mouth of Oracles, and the Organ of God's commands, and the people's obligations, who might learn from thence, and contemplate as in a mirror the purity both of body and soul, and the four Cardinal virtues distinguished in the four rows of Precious stones, and whereof the mixture arrives even to perfection amounting to the number of twelve. Fecerunt quoque tunicam superhumeralis totam hyacinthinam. Exod. 39 v. 20. D●orsum autem ad pedes mala punica, etc. Exod. 39 v. 22. Et tintinnabula de auro purissimo quae posuerunt inter malogranata, etc. Exo. 39 v. 23. Fecerunt & tunicas byssinas opere textili, etc. Exod. 39 v. 25. The third Vestment of the High Priest, was a large Tunique of a Violet colour, on which he need but cast his eyes to behold and learn the ways of a Celestial life, most proper for him worthily to bear this Vestment which was to reach as low as his foot, and to have Pomegranates, and little Bells round about it, whereof the one, as Rupertus observes, represented the preaching of the Messiah, and the other his Miracles. The fourth garment was of fine Linen, which is the true Symbol of Purity, without which all Priests never ought to approach the Altar, and which they must never put off; otherwise their Robe though Celestial, would be without splendour, and all the other Ornaments only serve for the preparation and pomp of a Sacrifice abominable in the sight of God, who is nothing but purity itself. But when a man hath once put on all these Vestments, Fecerunt & laminam sacrae venerationis de auro purissimo, scripseruntque in ea opere gemmario, Sanctum Domini, Exod. 39 v. 29. he may boldly set the Mitre on his head, which signifies a strict union with God; and the Plate which was born on his forehead with the Sacred name of Jehovah, signified him whom we ought to have always imprinted in our minds. In fine, all the other Pontifical Ornaments of the Old Testament were but figures of those which our Highpriest put on, and which all that follow his steps are to use, not so much to their bodies, as to put their souls in a condition of presenting Sacrifices unto God, not only for themselves, but also for others. CHAP. XLIIII. The Sacrifices of Aaron consumed by fire from Heaven. I Know not from whence the Romans, and the Vestals had the fire which they so charily preserved in their Temple; but that which the Israelites kept in the Tabernacle was a present they received from Heaven eight days after Moses had Consecrated Aaron, and enjoined him to offer his first Sacrifices: This was in testimony that God approved them, and to imprint deeper in the minds of the people, the honour and reverence they were to bear unto their High-Priests, and to these public acts of their Religion. Afterwards the Gentiles endeavoured to disturb these Mysteries, and often sought to make us believe, that their Gods kept amorous Thunderbolts, & Sacred flames for the advantage of their Religion; and for this purpose they had given names unto some, as a mark of the favours they had received from them, in their Sacrifices, which as they gave out, had been often enkindled by their hands. Nevertheless, these are but Fables, and Impiety and Sacrileges afforded no coals of the Sanctuary, nor any flames of Heaven, like those which fired the Holocausts, and Victims of Aaron, in the presence of the people, who did partake of the Sacrifice, Apparuitque gloria Domini omni multitudini. Levit. 9 v. 23. as complices of that sin for which it was offered. At that time the glory of our Lord appeared on the Altar, and in the midst of these Ceremonies. Now this glory was but a visible Fire which surrounded the whole Holocaust, Et ecce egressus ignis à domino, devor●vit holocausium, & adipet qui erant super altar, etc. Levit. 9 v. 24. and consumed it just in the same manner, as the common fire would have done, although some Hebrews have invented in their usual dreams, First, That the face of a Lion appeared in the midst of flames. Secondly, That they could not be quenched, even in water. Thirdly, That they were to be kept in a Purple Cloth. But their imagination had more resembled truth, Fair Analogies of fire with God. if instead of amusing themselves on these dreams, they had said, That this was the most ordinary Figure, by which God useth to erect a Throne of Light and Ardour unto his Love, which is but a most pure fire, without mixture, which descended from Heaven upon Earth, to cause a general inflagration in all hearts; which to speak properly, aught to be no other than the Altars of the most illustrious Sacrifices of Love, Faith, and Religion; concerning which, God hath been pleased to give marks and signs of his particular presence, causing himself to be seen and felt under the form of Fire, which of Natural bodies, resembleth him the most: So that Moses durst say unto his people, Deut. 4. v. 21. That his God was a consuming Fire. In the first place, because this Element hath more resemblance with its Creator, in regard of the power and command it hath received beyond others. Secondly, because, as there is nothing more amiable, and terrible than fire; so there is nothing which equals the goodness God expresseth to the virtuous, and the chastisement he implores to take revenge on the wicked. Thirdly, it is the nature of fire, as well as the property of God, to enlighten the night, to melt Ice, to warm those that approach it, and to burn such as will touch it. Moreover, it is the property of them both incessantly and vigorously to act, and to communicate themselves without loss or alteration, to be most pure, simple, and subtle, to harden and mollify substances, and always to ascend. In fine, the wisdom of God breaks forth in the midst of sparkling fires, his goodness in its ardours, and his power (to which all is possible), in those flames which God cannot resist: And as heat and light spring from fire, so the Son and the Holy Ghost are produced from the Father, as from their Beginning and Origin. It is not then without reason, God takes veils of fire to cover his Majesty, and that he often appears under this shape in Sacrifices; since these fires are kindled by his own hand, and by the torch of his Love, unto which we must approach with the same reverence, as to the bush of Moses; Areptisque Nadab & Abihu filu Aaron th●●●●bulis, posuerunt ignem, & incensum desuper, offerentes co●am Domino ignem alienum: Quod eis praeceptum non erat. Levit. ●0. v. 1. otherwise we find nothing there, but our own misfortune amongst devouring flames, and kill ardours, followed by smoke, tears, and obscurities, which form the veil of a dismal blindness. We must chief beware of doing like Nadab and Abihu, who were so bold as to put into their Censor an other fire than that of the Sanctuary; For that is to mingle Sacrilege with Religion, Heaven with Earth, and Piety with Profanations. Nevertheless, this is the practice of these persons, who are so presumptuous as to speak unto God by lips polluted with blasphemies, and to touch his Altars with impure hands, to kiss his Images with lips withered by wanton kisses, and to love the Holy Bridegroom with a heart, which they have already sold or mortgaged unto his rival. God also wants not arms to punish these profane persons, he hath killing Thunderbolts, and amorous Shafts, he hath gentle winds to enkindle fires, Sanctificabor in iis qui appropinquant mihi, & in conspectu omnis populi glorificabor. Levit. 10. v. 3. and torrents to quench them: There are Victims which he crowns with flames, and spoils, which he reduceth into Ashes, and oftentimes the Sacrificers, who ought only to attract Blessings and Dews from Heaven, draw upon themselves a deluge of pains and punishments. God is the Holy of Holies, and he cannot breathe but in Sanctity, which is, as it were, his Element, Life, and Paradise. CHAP. XLV. The Pillar of Fire, and the Cloud. AMongst all the miracles which God wrought for his people, Adduxit vos quadraginta annis per desertum, etc. Deut. 29. v. 5. and continued for the space of forty years, during their voyage, from their departure out of Egypt, until their entry into the Land of Promise, the first was, That amongst three millions of people, there was not any one either sick, fainting, or weary, during all these wander, and amidst the dangers and encounters, not to be avoided by those that make long journeys. The second wonder appeared in their Garments, which were not in any sort worn out, Non sunt attrita vestimenta vestra, nec calceamenta pedum vestrorum vetustate consumpta sunt. Deut. 29. v. 5. Panem non comedislis, vinum & siceram non bibistis, etc. Deut. 29. v. 6. as if they had brought them out of their Mother's Bellies, increased with their Bodies. They also had no need of Sutler's, nor any of those provisions which are necessary for livelihood: For there fell every day so well-seasoned Manna, as they needed only to take and put it into their mouths, to find therein all sort of gust, and the most delicious taste they could desire. In fine, Igitur die qua erectum est tabernaculum, operuit illud nubes. A vespere autem super tentorium erat quasi species ignis usque mane. Num. 9 v. 15. Sic siebat jugiter: per diem operiebat illud nubes, & per nectem quasi species ignis. Num. 9 v. 16. the last prodigy was the Pillar, which served them for a Torch amidst the obscurities of the night, and for an umbrello to oppose the overviolent ardours of the day. It was a Chariot of Fire, and a Cloud conducted by an Intelligence, which held the Reigns thereof, and guided it according to the will of God; It was a Bark in the Air, more fortunate than that which heretofore carried in artificial fire the hopes of Greece. For this Vessel had real Fires, its Pilot marked out, as some have believed, the seasons of the year, and the hours of the day and night: It was a Standard, which accompanied and preceded all the Triumphs and Victories of the Hebrews, and at the same time routed their enemies. It was the Holy Standard, whose cyphers were Love-nets, and Draughts of Clemency; it was a Sun in Eclipse, and a Cloud where the Sun was in his Meridian. The Morning and Evening Stars saw this Veil hanging over the Camp of the Israelites, when they were enforced to make a halt, and flying when they were to march. God himself made sometimes use of it as his Throne, Si fuisset nubes à vespere usque ad mane, & statim diluculo tabernaculum reliquisset, proficiscebantur: Et, si post diem & noctem recessisset, dissipabant tentoria, Num. 9 v. 21. and these resplendent obscurities, this luminous night, and this day shadowed with Clouds, served him for a Veil, through which he darted on the people, the splendours of his glory, and the shafts of his amiable Providence, which gave the first motion to the Pillar, and conducting Angel. Is not this a lively Image of the Holy Ghost, who is the Pillar of Saints, and of the Church, who gives strength unto the feeble, and light unto the blind? He illuminates during the night of sin, and placeth us under his Wings, during the day of Grace. This amiable Pillar goes marking out our Lodgings, during this whole Pilgrimage, and at last will stop when it must take its resting place, and make its last retreat under the Canopy of Heaven. O Israel! Chosen People, lose not then the sight of this Pillar, it is for thee, it is for all; and if thine eyes cannot endure the splendour of its Rays, put thy feir at last under its shadow, and never forsake it, until this Divine Cloud which covers thee, pour down into thy heart, and until without veil or mixture, thou mayst receive the clarities, which make the Paradise, and glory of the Blessed; for the rest thou needst fear nothing: For there is no person who may not gain a place in Heaven, and break all the obstacles on Earth, following this most Blessed Guide, and never losing the sight of these pleasing Lights. The Humble may raise themselves by respect and fear, the Merciful by the love of Piety, the Courageous by Valour, the Considerate by Counsel, the Provident by the Prudence of Saints, the most Solid by Wisdom, and such as have the Gift of Discretion by Knowledge, and by the various Trials they shall have. CHAP. XLVI. The Brazen Serpent. Quod cum audisset Chananaeus rex Arad, qui babitabat ad meridiem, venisse scilicet Israel per explorator ● viam, pugnavit contra illum, & victor existens, duxit ex eo praedam. Num. 21. v. 1. A While after the death of Mary and Aaron, when the people pursued their voyage towards the Holy Land, Arad, King of the Canaanites, had no sooner heard the news of it, but he instantly took the field to hinder their further advance. It was upon the same way, that two years after their departure out of Egypt, the Hebrews had sent their Spies into the Land of Canaan; and this was the occasion which moved Arad to raise forces in great haste, imagining that all these Travellers and Strangers had no other intention, than to invade his Territories, and render themselves masters of his Country. The first conflicts were very prosperous to this Prince, At Israel voto se Domino obligans ait: Si tradideris populum istum in manu mea, delebo urbes ejus. Num. 21. v. 2. Exaudivitque Dominus preces Israel, & tradidit Chananaeum, quem ille interfecit subversis urbibus ejus: & vocavit nomen illius Horma, id est, anathema. Num. 21. v. 3. Profecti sunt autem de monte Hor, per viam quae ducit ad Mare rubrum, ut circumirent terram Edom. Et taedere coepit populum itineris ac laboris. Num. 21. v. 4. Locutusque contra Deum & Moisen, ait; Curio eduxisti nos de Aegypto, ut moreremur in solitudine? Dost panis, non sunt aquae: anima nostra jam nauseat super cibo isto levissimo. Num. 21. v. 5. and I am confident he would have defeated his Enemies, if God had not combined against him, according to the solemn Vow the Israelites made to demolish for his honour, all the strong holds of this King, and to lay so many Anathemaes on them, that there might remain nothing, but the execrable footsteps and bloody marks of the abominations and impieties which reigned in the Land of Canaan. And this they did after a general victory, from thence pursuing their way toward the Red Sea, and about the Lands of Idumea. But in fine, these ungrateful men seeing already their promised Palms, could not forbear to mingle murmurs with their Songs of Victory; and the vexation they had to see themselves so long in a Pilgrimage, made them lose the remembrance of him who had conducted them through the desert, and rendered them conquerors over their Enemies, after he had in a manner enforced the Elements, and the most insensible Bodies of Nature to contribute unto their necessities. Ah! said they, we have too long wandered in this solitary place, sometimes upon Mountains, and then in Valleys; nevertheless, after a journey of forty years, we have not hitherto reached the Haven; And even this Manna which fell from Heaven, and which indeed, hath hitherto supplied our most pressing necessities, is yet but a very slight nourishment, and which affords more distaste than benefit: Why did we then leave Egypt to come into these deserts and arid places, where we have neither Water nor Bread? Can we truly represent unto ourselves a more unworthy and blind ingratitude, than this? But where may we find punishments harsh enough to inflict on this impious people, and darts sharp enough to cause a resentment of so great a disloyalty? I could wish, that all the Oaths of these perjured persons had been numbered, after so many favours and miracles done for their sake; and yet behold their Sacrifices, their Offerings, their Vows, and all their Gratitude. Why have you brought us hither, and why have you delivered us out of slavery, to cause us to die with hunger and thirst in this desert? Behold, Quamobrem misu Dominus in populum igneos serpents, ad corum plagas, & mortes plurimorum. Num. 21. v. 6. Venerunt ad Moisen, atque dixetunt: Peccavimus, quia locuti sumus contra Dominum & te: Ora ut tollat à nobis serpents. Oravitque Moises pro populo. Num. 21. v. 7. the complaints and murmur which even scorched the Sands of Arabia, as with a breath of fire and flames, which was no other than the Spirit of God, which immediately produced there an infinite number of Serpents, whose bitings were so cruel and ardent, that one would have believed they had been so many coals, or some kind of wildfire applied to the flesh of these miserable wretches, if those Vipers and Scorpions had not been seen, which spared no man, causing with their Teeth upon these infamous Bodies, such stinging pains, and fiery wounds, that it brought them even unto despair; And, I believe, it would have reduced these guilty persons into Ashes, if they had not at least acknowledged their sin, and obtained some remedy more than humane, by the mediation of Moses. Now this Remedy was no other than a great Brazen Serpent, which God commanded Moses to make, Et locutus est Dominus ad cum: Fac serpentem aeneum; & posuit eum pro signo: avem cum percussi aspicerent, sanabantur, Num. 21. v. 8, 9 and erect in the desert; upon which they had no sooner cast their eyes, but they were instantly cured, though it were but a sign and mark of that hand which had erected this Trophy of his Power, and the Image of his Goodness; to the end, the Remedy might be the more conformable to the disease, and that such as had been punished by Serpents, after they had vomited all the venom out of their serpentine mouths, might have at least this counter-poison, which was, as it were, enclosed within this miraculous Serpent. Now all this was but a most lively figure of Jesus Christ, fastened on the Cross, who bore all the most bloody marks, and the most shameful appearances of a sinner; although he were Purity and Innocency itself, which can receive no stain of sin. The Brass whereof the Serpent was form, and which amongst all other Metals hath I know not what more solid qualities, and less subject unto corruption, denoted nothing else but the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and his Eternity. We may also observe with Saint Austin, upon this Figure, some marks of the resplendency and glory of the Cross, which carried its light and splendour even unto the shadows of Gentilism and Idolatry, where its Trophies and Power have appeared, notwithstanding the rage and fury of the most dreadful Tyrants. In fine, if this Brazen Serpent bore certain colours of fire, who sees not that it was a very evident token of Love and Charity, which passed even into the bosom of a Father to seek a Son, and into the flames of a Sanctuary to seek a God, to convert him into a man of Fire, which descended not on Earth, but to inflame him with the amorous ardours of his infinite Charity? O God O Love! What goodness, what flames, where hath such a prodigy and miracle of Love been ever seen? A God takes upon him the form of a sinner, represented by this Serpent, and was pleased by his death, to cure those who have been the torturers and persecutors of his life. Alas! my poor heart, Art thou not one of those who have murmured against God? Have not these languishments and vexations, which thou canst not conceal in his service, provoked him to render thee a prey unto those Vipers, which are commonly nourished in the fire of concupiscence, and are often born on the sands of the Desert, and in the retirement of the most pleasing solitudes, to fly afterwards into the greatest Assemblies, and into the heart of the World, where thou must perish of wounds amongst the dead, unless some Moses, in thy favour, address himself unto him who hath created thee, to save, and not to damn thee. O my Jesus! O my Saviour! Grant me then this favour, that I may cast mine eyes upon thy Cross, and on thyself, to the end, If any deceitful Serpent hath infected me with his bitings, and enkindled some ardours and flames in my veins, in beholding you I may burn only with those of thy Holy Love. CHAP. XLVII. The last Actions of Moses. TO make a relation of the last Actions performed by Moses, I must imitate Geographers and Painters, who contract upon their Canvas strokes and lines, to form an Epitome of the Heavens, Elements, and the greatest Bodies in nature; nevertheless, I could not undertake so hard a task, if the design thereof had not been marked out, even by his hand, of whom I pretend to speak. But since I must here only work upon the original, and draw some copy of it, it is enough for me to do like those Apprentices, who study to express, at least, in a rough draught, the rarest Ideas of their Master. The Pencil then of Moses must finish this Picture; and there is no person, I believe, who may not know that his hand and pen have followed the tracts of his Spirit, and that there was but one Moses, who could worthily describe and publish the commands of God, whose instincts he so justly followed, as to see and hear him, it was apparent that God animated his sentiments, who spoke by his mouth, who wrought by his hands, and who became, as it were, the soul of his soul, so intimately was he united to him, and all his actions. This appeared during the whole course of this great Patriarcks' life, but chief near his end, and namely, when he saw himself even upon the point of leaving this beloved people, of whom he had been the Prince, Father, The Testament of Moses. Prophet, and Lawgiver: He must resolve then to give them his last words, and take his last farewell; he must declare all his desires, and draw his last will; to the end, it might be afterwards engraven upon Stones, and that, at least, every seven years there might be made a general publication thereof; as also, that King's might themselves read it before their Election, to learn from thence the Laws and Precepts, which are, as it were, the souls of Princes, and the principal wheels of Empires. Now this Testament was no other than Deuteronomy, Hieronimus in prologo Galleato. August. Q. 49. Theod. hic Q. 1. Athanas. in Synop. Quadragessimo anno, undecimo mense, prima die mensis, locutus est Moises ad filios Israel omnia quae praeceperat illi Dominus, ut disceret eyes. Deut. 1. v. 3. Trans Jordanem in terra Moab. Deut. 1. v. 5. which, as Saint Jerome saith, is, as it were the Second Law, or rather according to the opinion of Theodoret, Saint Austin, and Saint Athanasius, a repetition of the first, which was published on Mount Sina, and amply set forth in Exodus, Leviticus, and the Book of Numbers. It was about the fortieth year after the departure out of Egypt, a little before the Hebrews passed over Jordan, and in the last of their stations in the fields of Moab, and in a place surnamed Abelsarim, when this new publication was made, by reason the most ancient of the people of Israel, who had received this Law upon Mount Sina, being dead, it was necessary that the young men, who perchance had never heard of it, might at least be instructed therein by this second promulgation. Besides, it was convenient that Moses who saw his end approaching, should declare all his desires unto his beloved people; and that for his last farewell, he should leave them these speaking Relics and Divine Commandments, which ought to serve them as domestic masters, for the well-ordering both of their lives and manners. We may say, upon the same occasion, An excellent Sermon of Moses. That Deuteronomy is, as it were, but a continual Preaching, whereof all the Sentences and Exhortations are animated with Zeal, Ardour, and Piety, as the most powerful Motives Moses useth to inculcate to all his Auditors, such important Verities and Laws, as on them all their happiness and salvation depend. It is also most certain, That we ourselves ought to be touched by the darts of Virtue, and by the shaffs of a Holy Love, if we will warm others, and elevate their hearts and souls unto God: For otherwise, this were to enkindle a fire with water and ice, and to believe, that a pile might be fired by an extinguished Torch. No, no, we ought to be interiorly furnished with qualities fit to be imparted unto others, and before we lay some touches of a Pencil upon a Cloth, and some strokes of a Graver upon a Plate of Brass, it is first necessary to form a rough draught in our minds; otherwise, we shall but scribble, and a multitude of venturous strokes can never finish a regulated work: Whence it follows, Advice unto public persons. that Judges, Masters, and all that speak in public, and are as it were, the Living Laws of this World, the Oracles of the People, and the Echoes of Gods Will, aught to be like animated Books which only speak, command, and teach what they have imprinted within themselves; or rather like Marble, on which it is necessary beforehand, and with much labour, to engrave what is to be there read. In fine, they ought at least to imitate the Sun, which hath always eminently, both heat, beauty, and all those Lights, which without truce and repose, he spreads upon the Earth. Above all, such as God hath chosen for such important employments ought to speak more from the heart than mouth, and never to say during life, but what they should confirm at the hour of death, to the end when they shall see themselves at the point of death, they may have no trouble to retract the errors of their youth, but only repeat the verities they have always gloried to practice and publish in all places. This is that which Moses did after the death of Aaron, and very few weeks before his own; When for a closure of all his actions and labours, he wrote and declared publicly these Laws unto all his people, Poslquam percussit Sehon Regem Amorrhae orum qui habitabat in Hesebon: & Og Regem Basan, etc. Deut. 1. v. 4. Coepitque Moyses explanare legem, & dicere, Deut. 1. v. 5. Dominus Deus noster locutus est ad nos in Horcb dicens, etc. Deut. 1. v. 6. Ingredimini & pessidete eam super qua juravit Dominus patribus vestris, etc. Deut. 1. v. 8. Profecti autem de Horeb, transivimus per termum terribilem & maximam, quam vidistis, per viam montis Amorrhaei sicut praeceperat Dominus Deus noster nobis. Cumque venissemus in Cadisbarne; Deut. 1. v. 19 Mittam us vires qui considerent terram: & renuntient per quod iter debeamus ascendere, & ad quas pergere civitates. Deut. 1. v. 2. who after his decease were in a manner to hold his place, and serve for a bridle unto some, and a torch unto others, or at least for a spirit general unto all, to inspire them with the duties and obligations they owed unto God. To this effect, in the first three Chapters of Deuterenomie we need but repass over the course of their Pilgrimage, and expose the admirable adventures of this famous Voyage which lasted forty years, during which they were like wanderers and vagabonds in the Desert. It was upon the first day of the eleventh month of the Hebrews, and a while after the defeat of Sehon the King of the Ammorites; and of Og, King of Basan, that Moses assembled his troops, and first related to them what had passed on Mount Horeb, together with a promise of their admission into Chanaan, which was to be the period of their travels, and the accomplshment of their desires. In the second place, how after their departure out of the land of Horeb, they descended into a vast and dreadful Wilderness, from whence they went unto Cadesbarne, which was the place of their retreat, whilst Spies went from them to survey the Land unto which they were going. Now this was the cause of enkindling Gods wrath against them, Cumque audisset Dominus vocem sermonum vestrorum, iratus, juravit & ait, Deut. 1. v. 34. Non videbit quispiam de hominibus generationis hujus pessimae terram bonam, quam sub juramento pollicitus sum patribus vestris, praeter Coleb filium Jephone, etc. Deut. 1. v. 35, 36. Vos autem revertimini & abite in solitudinem per viam maris rubri, Deut. 1. v. 40. who perceiving that they confided not in his promises, swore that except Caleb the son of Jephon, and Josua, not a man of this incredulous and perfidious Nation should be so happy as to enter the Land of Promise. And truly what could God do, hearing the murmur, and seeing the Indignities of these fearful and mercenary Souls, who had no sooner notice of the forces of the Country to which he conducted them, but at the same instant they persuaded themselves, notwithstanding all that Josua and Caleb could say unto them for their encouragement, that these troops were to oppress their weakness, and that unfallibly the Towers and Bulwarks of Chanaan would be converted into Prisons for them, as also that all those Giants of whom they had heard so much, were like so many Tyrants to reduce them again into a more vexatious bondage than that from which they were delivered. They would have still wandered in the Deserts, and about the Mountains, often exposed unto hunger and thirst, if God had not otherwise paternally provided for them, cleaving Rocks, causing Manna to issue from the Clouds, Parvuli vestri, de q●ibus dixistis, quod captivi ducerentur, & filii qui hodie boni ac moli ignorant distantiam, ipse ingredientur, etc. Deu. 1. v. 39 and preventing all the dangers which accompanied their Voyages. Methinks I see a Picture of those who go round about the Sanctuary, and never enter into it: For all these miserable men were shut out of the Land of Promise, and this favour was reserved for their Children, who notwithstanding were long in expectation of it. There are some languishing Spirits in the world, and souls floating about the Ark, these are little Fishes which swim always between two waters, or else resemble those Birds which can never take their flight upon elevated places, and never come out of their holes, but when night approacheth, and when scarce any light is to be seen. These are also certain curious persons who would pry even into the Sun; but the excess of light blinds them. In matters of Faith, the eyes ought to be shut, and all the reasons of human policy serve but to dazzle and confound. We ought never to be so presumptuous, as to measure the grandeurs of the Mysteries of Heaven, with the lowness of our understanding. It is sufficient to follow the lights of God, to see what passeth in Chanaan, and in the Land of Promise, without sending other Spies than our most ardent desires, and our purest actions, otherwise the hand, eye, and mind, which serve us for a guide in this Pilgrimage, will forsake us on the way, and amidst wind, where we shall see but a far off the end of our travels, and the shore which we strive to reach by strength of arms and Oars. I even doubt whether after we have long expected, Cum mihi quoque iratus propter vos Dominus dixit: nec tu ingredieris illuc, etc. Deut. 1. v. 37. Precatusque sum Dominum in tempore illo dicens. Deut. 3. v. 23. and demanded the land of Promise with tears in our eyes, and sighs in our hearts, we shall not be enjoined silence; and surely it would be done with more reason than unto Moses, who notwithstanding his virtue and merits, was not heard in the request he made upon this occasion; for after he had made his prayer in these terms, My Lord, Domine Deus, tu coepisii estendere servo tuo magnitudinem tuam, manumque fortis simam, Neque enim est alius Deus vel in caelo, vel in terra, qui passit facere opera tua, & comparari sortitudini tuae. Deut. 3. v. 24. Transibo igitur, & videbo terram hanc optimam trans Jordanem, & montem istum egregium, & Libanum. Deut. 3. v. 25. and my God, thou hast begun to withdraw the Veils which hid from us thy greatness and power; It is necessary to confess, that neither in the Heavens, nor upon Earth, there is any power comparable to thine, nor other God, who can work those miracles, whereof I have been a witness: I hope then that thy victorious hand, and thy Omnipotent arm will conduct me beyond Jordan, and that being under this happy Climate, and in these fortunate Lands, for which I have even sighed the space of forty years, I shall at last ascend the Mountain of Moria and Liban, where I may kiss the paces, and discern the foutsteps of those who have been my wellbeloved forefather's, Iratusque est Dominus mihi propter vos, nec exaudivit me, sed dixit mihi: sufficit tibi, nequaquam ultrae loquaris de hac re ad me. Deut. 3. v. 26. and thy dear Children; God who can do nothing but with Justice, shown some marks of his Anger, and most expressly prohibited Moses to importune him any more concerning this matter. Afterwards, he sent him to the top of Mount Phasga, Ascend cacumen Phasga, & aculos tuos circumser ad occidentem, & ad Aquilonem, Austrumque, & Orientem, & aspice. Deut. 3. v. 27. Sed Josue filius Nun minister tuus, ipse intrabit pro te: hunc exhortare & robora, & ipse sorte terram dividet Israeli. Deut. 1. v. 38. Mansimusque in valle contra fanum Phoger. Deut. 3. v. 29. Non addetis ad verbum quod vobis loquor, nec auseretis ex eo: custodite mandata Domini Dei vestri, etc. Deut. 4. v. 2. from whence having commanded him to look towards the East; the South, the West, and the North, he charged him only to encourage Josua, who was to succeed him after his death, in the quality of a Conductor of his people, and to divide Chanaan and the Land of Promise amongst the Tribes of Israel. I know not the terms which Moses used in the Establishment of so prudent and worthy a Successor: For he was content to say, that having received this answer and commission, he descended into the Valley, where was the Temple of Phogor; Having in this manner concluded the first Chapter of Deuteronomy; In the eighth Chapter following, he makes a long discourse, exhorting his people to keep exactly the Laws and Commandments which were first given upon Mount Sina, with a Spirit environed with flames, and ardours, which sufficiently testified the greatness of this mystery, and the importance of the matter. Beware then, my dear Children, said Moses to them, Remarkable words of Moses. of violating the Oath of your forefather's, and if you be sensible of all the blessings you have received, Dye rather a thousand times, than efface in your souls the love and gratitude due unto him, who hath delivered you out of the furnaces of Egypt, Cave ne quando obliviscaris pacti Domini tui. Deut. 4. v. 23. and whose spirit hath secret flames, and devouring fires which will consume you, if you have been so audacious as to forget him, and despise his commands: But if you obey him, you shall go into those pleasant Countries, which will prove a Haven unto all your miseries, and the accomplishment of all your desires; Et juravit ut non transirem Jordanem, nec ingrederer terram optimam, quam daturus est vobis. Deut. 4. v. 21. Ecce morior in hac humo, non transibo Jordanem: vos transibitis, & possidebitis terram egregiam. Deut. 4. v. 22. There all your Fetters shall be broken, and yourselves freed from bondage, without fear and apprehension you shall enjoy those blessings which were heretofore promised unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For my part, my wellbeloved, I am at the end of my life, and shall never pass over Jordan, nor the Land of Chanaan; Go then happily thither, and before you set your foot on this Country, engrave in the bottom of your souls the Laws and Precepts I have so often taught you, Haec est enim vestra sapientia & intellectus coram populis, ut audientes universa praecepta haec, dicant: En populus sapiens & intelligens, gens magna. Deut. 4. v. 6. to the end when another People shall see and hear these Oracles and documents from your mouths, they may say with astonishment, Behold these wise and learned men, this great Nation, and these illustrious Tribes, for whom heaven hath always had an extraordinary care, and a particular affection. For the rest, in case you observe not exactly the Laws I leave you, Testes invoco hodie caelum. &. terram, cito perituros vos esse de terra, quam transito Jordane poss●ssuri estis: non habitabitis in ea longo tempore; S●d de lebit vos Dominus. Deut. 4. v. 26. Atque disperget in omnes gentes, etc. Deu. 4. v. 27. Ibique servietis Diis, qui hominum manu fabrtcati sunt, ligno & lapidi, qui non vident, nec audiunt, nec comedunt, nec odorantur. Deut. 4. v. 28. Cumque quaesieris ibi Dominum Doum tuum invemes eum: si tamen toto corde quaesieris, & tota tribulatione ani mae tuae. Deut. 4. v. 29. do not think you shall long enjoy the succession whereof yovare going to be heirs. I attest Heaven and Earth, and all Creatures both visible and invisible, which are witnesses of what I say unto you, scarce shall you be possessed of it, but you will be dispersed, some into one place, some into another, and afterwards you will find yourselves in Provinces, where you shall be Captives, and in reward of your perfidiousness, serve false Divinities, which the error and Idolatry of your Masters shall have form of wood and stone, where you shall see mouths, eyes, ears, and the other parts which are the Instruments of life, and the Organs of your Senses, yet they will be inanimated Statues, soul-less bodies, and insensible Idols, where nevertheless if you will seek God with a contrite and loving heart, and fix your eyes and minds not upon appearances, but on the verity, which is Him, I protest unto you, my friends, that you will there find him, and that in fine, the power of your Creator will trample over the weakness of all these little Being's which have been created by his hand. He then must be the object of your affections, his infinite goodness, his wise prudence, his Paternal mercy, his beauty without art or mixture, aught to be the subject of your desires and flames. woe to all those, who deny him their affections, and prefer some streams, and little glimmerings of light, before this Spring of living waters, and this Planet, without which the whole world would remain in the shades of death and blindness. I know that you will be first invaded by seven different Nations, which are but the Images of the seven deadly Sins, and will wage a bloody War against you: But these Chanaanites will serve but for matter unto your glory, and for a fair Field, where after many Combats, Septem gentes multò ma●o is numeri quàm tues, & robustiores te. Deut. 7 v. 1. Tradid ●●que eas Dominus Deus tuus tibi, percuties eas usque ad internecionem. Deut. 7. v. 2. Et scies, quia Dominus Deus tuus, ipse est Deus sortis & fidelis, Custodiens pactum & misericordiam diligentibus se, Deut. 7. v. 9 and total Victories, you may raise Trophies, and build Altars unto the glory of this Conqueror, who can effect all that he pleaseth, from whence you shall learn, that your God is not only a God whose power is invincible, but whose fidelity also is inviolable, his promises unalterable, his word infallible, and his favours without number and measure, provided you offer your hearts, and consecrate to him your dearest passions; otherwise his favours will be converted into afflictions, his goodness will give way unto Justice, and his rewards will be punishments, exiles, slaveries, and almost Universal destructions, Et reddens odientibus se statim, ita ut disperdat eos, & ultra non differat, protinus eis restituens quod merentur. Deut. 7. v. 10. as when the impiety of your farefathers induced them even to set the abominable Idol of the Golden Calf, in the place of God; you need but represent all these frightful punishments, & exemplar Chastisements, unto your minds, which in a manner make but a great Sepulchre of your Camps, the murmur whereof have ascended even to Heaven; And if you will pass farther, and interrogate all Ages, to learn what hath hitherto been the rigour of God's vengeances, when once provoked, go even into the Cradle of the world, into the Terrestrial Paradise, Signa & opera quae fecit in medio Aegypti Pharaoni Regi, & universae terrae ejus. Deut. 11. v. 3. Omnique exercitui Aegyptiorum, & equis in curribus: quomodo operuerint eos aquae maris Rubri, cum vos persequerentur. Deut. 11. v. 5. under the Billows of the Ocean, and amongst the Ashes of Sodom; In fine, return into Egypt, and pass again over the Sands of the Red Sea, to behold also there the prints of those Chariots, and of those enemies which pursued you with so much fury. Alas! where is now Pharaoh? Where are those Egyptians? and where is that insolent pride, those unsupportable cruelties, and those dreadful Tyrannies, which kept you under the yoke, and in the Chains of a very long and painful captivity? But if you desire to pass even into the Infernal parts, Et Dathan atque Abiron filii Eliab, qui suit filius Reuben, quos aperto ore sue terra absorbuit, etc. Deut. 11. v. 6. and cause all the Dungeons of the Earth to be opened, you may ask of Core, Dathan, and Abiron, whether it be good to deride the works of God, and to vomit forth blasphemies against him, who deserves nothing but thanksgivings and benedictions. Ah! Surely, if Fire, Earth, Air, and Water, have never refused to arm themselves in his quarrel, Ponite haec verba mea in cordibus & in animis vestr is, etc. Deut. 11. v. 18. Subvertite omnia loca in quibus coluerunt gentes quas possessuri estis Deos suos super montes excelsos, etc. Deut. 12. v. 2. Non facietis ita Domino Deo vestro. Deut. 12. v. 4. Sed ad locum, quem elegerit Dominus Deus vester, etc. Deut. 12. v. 5. Utvadant & serviant diis alienis, & adorent eos, , & lunam, & omnem militiam caeli, quae non praecepi. Deut. 17. v. 3. Et lapidibus obruentur. Deut. 17. v. 5. Hoc erit judicium sacerdotum à populo & ab iis qui offerunt victimas, sive ovem immolaverint dabunt sacerdoti armum ac nutrieulum. Septimo anno facies remissionem. Deut. 15. v. 1. Quae hoc ordine celebrabitur, cui debetur aliquid ab amico vel proximo, à fratre suo repetere non poterit, quia annus remissions est Domini. Deut. 15. v. 2. Cum tibi venditus suerit frater tuus Hebraeus aut Hebraea, & sex annis servierit tibi, in septimon anno dimittes cum liberum. Deut. 15. v. 12. they will not be less obedient and sensible, when it shall please him to give them the least sign of his commands. Hear then Israel, all that I say unto thee, and imprint it in thy mind, to the end, If these chastisements and threats do not move thee, and beget fear and horror in thee, at least, let the memory of the Favours conferred on thee, and the hope of a future good incite thee; let not so many benefits be forgotten, and let the hand from whence they flow, oblige thee eternally to preserve them in thy remembrance. Are not these words worthy the zeal of Moses? and these flames, powerful enough to enkindle love, or to reduce hearts harder than Diamonds into Ashes? But this Exhortation seemed to them too general, and for this reason, he descended more to particulars, and commanded, First, Not to immolate any more their Victims, nor to present their desires in Woods, and upon Mountains, but in some place which God had chosen and appointed for this purpose. Secondly, He made an Edict, in which it was decreed, That they who should be so bold as to teach and introduce any Foreign and Sacrilegious Worships, should be presently put to death, and publicly stoned without exception, either of kindred or friends, in case by mishap they were guilty. Thirdly, He makes mention of particularities, which concerned the manner which was to be observed in the common use of these Animals, which might be eaten; and there he remarks some duties touching the Tenths, to which they were obliged: From thence, he proceeded to the Jubilee, which was celebrated every seventh year; after which, the Jews gave mutually a general acquittance of all the debts they had contracted, and at that time all servants were set free, in such sort, that their Masters were even obliged to give them a Viaticum, Sed dabis viaticum de gregibus, etc. Deut. 15. v. 14. Tribus vicibus per annum apparebit omne masculinum tuum in conspectu Demini Dei tui, in leco quem elegerit:, in so●emnitate azymorumin solemnitate hebdomadarum, & in solemnitate tabernaculorum. Deut. 16. v. 16. Veniesque ad sacerdotes Levitici generis, & ad judicem qui suerit illo tempore, etc. Deut. 17. v. 9 Et dixeris: constituam super me regem, sicut habent omnes per circaitum nationes. Deut. 17.14. Non habebunt sacerdotes & Levitae, & omne qui de eadem, tribu sunt, partem & haereditatem cum relic Israel, Deut. 18. v. 1. Nec incantator, nec qui pychones consultat, & divinos, etc. Deut. 18. v. 11. Prophetam suscitabe eos, etc. Deu. 18. v. 18. Haec erit lex bomicidae fugientis, cujus vita servanda est: Qui percusserit proximum suam nesciens, etc. Deut. 19 v. 4. Si quis autem odio habens proximum suum, etc. Deut. 19 v. 11. Mittent seniores civitatis illius & arripient eum de loco effagaii, etc. Deut. 19 v. 13. Non stabit testis unus contra aliquem, etc. Deut. 19 v. 15. which was as a general salary due unto the toils of their service. Fourthly, Having spoken concerning the Offerings which was to be made of the firstborn, he makes a new publication of the Feast of Easter, of Pentecost, and of the Tabernacles, which were to be celebrated in a designed place, and where the Male-childrens were bound to be present. Presently after he made a decree of death against Idolaters, and commanded all the people to repair unto their Priests in Legal matters, and to consult them in their doubts, and concerning the differences, which had reference to the Law. Then about the end of the same Chapter, he commanded the people of Israel to choose a King of their own Nation, and described the Qualities which were requisite for this Dignity. Fifthly, He ordains by his order, that the Priests and Levites should have only the Victims, Offerings, and Tenths, for their share in Canaan. Afterwards, he made a Public Act, prohibiting any Consultation with Diviners and Sorcerers, and promised them a Prophet, who should declare to them all the Commands of God. Sixthly, Moses enjoined that three Towns should be designed for Refuge, and which might serve as a Sanctuary for those who should by mishap kill a man against their will; that if it were done voluntarily, the Author thereof was to be banished, and drawn from these Towns, first to be put into the hands of his adversaries, and afterward punished with exemplary death. As for false witnesses, whose tongues are as much or more to be feared, than the hand of a murderer, they were all condemned unto that kind of punishment, which chasticeth proportionably to the crime, and demands in rigour, life for life, and such a punishment as punctually suits with the offence of the criminal. Seventhly, Si exieris ad bellum contra hostes tuos, & videris equitatus & currus, etc. Deut. 20. v. 1. He passes to Laws and Customs which were to be observed in War, and in a concealed Murder, in which case, the offending-party was bound to make some expiation of his crime, and receive, at least, some immunity and favour from his Judges, which consisted particularly in a Public Oath, and in a general Protestation made before them. As concerning the disobediences of such Children as were refractory to their Father's commands, Si genuerit homo filium contumacem & protervum, qui non audiat patris & matris imperium, & coercitus obedire contempserit. Deu. 21. v. 18. Apprehendent eum, & ducent ad seniores civitatis illius, & ad portam judicii. Deut. 21. v. 19 no other punishment was to be inflicted on them than Death, after they had been first put into the hands of the most Ancient of the people, who having heard the report, examined the fact, and confronted the witnesses, were obliged to leave them unto the mercy of the people to stone them to death, which was also observed concerning Adulterers, who to this end, were led out of the City with those that were to be stoned. Eightly, Ammonites & Moabites ctiam post decimam generationem non intrabunt ecclestam Domini in aeternum. Deut. 23. v. 3. He frames a brief Catalogue of some Ecclesiastical Laws, and chief of such persons as were forbidden entrance into the holy places, amongst which were the Ammonites, the Idumeans, the Moabites, and the Egyptians, even to the Tenth Generation. Ninthly, Si acceperit homo uxorem, & habuerit eam, & non invenerit gratiam ante oculos ejus propter aliquam soeditatem: scribet lil ellum repudii, & dabit in manu illius, & dimittet eam de domo sua. Deut. 24. v. 1. Non deerunt pauperes in terra habitationis tuae: idcirco ego praecipio tibi, ut aperias manumfratri tuo egeno & pauperi, qui tecum versatur in terra. Deut. 15. v. 11. Upon just reasons he permitted the Hebrews to separate themselves from their Wives, and exhibit on this occasion, a Bill of Divorce, in which they set down the causes of their repudiation. Tenthly, He prescribed them Laws and Motives, which were to invite them unto mercy and compassion towards the poor; which certainly is so agreeable unto Reason, and fastened to Nature, That a man must be more than infensible, not to be touched with a misfortune, wherein it is a particular favour not to be enveloped himself, and where, however it happen, the misery of his likeness is represented before his eyes. In fine, Albeit men in this point are more worthy of compassion, than other Creatures, yet Beasts very often deserve pity; and we ought not to be so cruel, according to the observation of Moses, as to mussel the mouth of an Ox who treads the Corn, as it was anciently practised, and after his labour, to refuse him Straw and Hey. Behold, as it were, an abridgement of the first five and twenty Chapters of Deuteronomy, and consequently of Leviticus, and the Book of Numbers. In the six and twentieth Chapter, Tolles de cunctis frugibus tuis primitias, & pones in cartallo, pergesque ad locum, quem Dominus Deus tuus elegerit, ut ibi invocetur nomen ejus. Deut. 26. v. 2. the Hebrews received a command to offer unto God their first-fruits, with a public acknowledgement of their gratitude, for the blessings they received from God, and that he alone is the Author of them; to whom they are indispensably bound, to yield a perfect obedience, and without restriction. In the seven and twentieth, Hi stabunt adlenedicendum populo super montem Garizim, Jordane transmisso, etc. Deut. 27. v. 12. Et è regione isti stabunt ad maledicendum in monte Hebal, etc. Deut. 27. v. 13. Et pronuntiabunt Levitae, dicentque ad omnes viros Israel excelsa voce. Deut. 27. v. 14. Maledictus homo qui facit sculptile, etc. Deut. 27. v. 15. he prescribes the Form and Ceremonies of the Benediction, which was to be given upon the Mount Garizim, whereas the Maledictions were thundered out upon that of Hebal, and where all the Hebrews, men, women, and children, were to appear, upon condition nevertheless, that the twelve Tribes should be in such a manner divided, as six only were to be on Garizim, and as many upon Hebal. Concerning the Priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant, they had their station between the two Mountains, encompassed by Levites and the Ancients of the Nation. It was after this preparation, Joshua began to bless all the people, either by his own mouth, or by the mouth of the Priests; the which being done, the Law was proclaimed: And as it is probable enough, some Levite was chosen for this purpose, whose voice might be most intelligible to so great an Assembly, and then followed the Twelve Formalities, concerning Benedictions and Maledictions, which were to bo ebserved, when necessity and custom required. Behold, doubtless the very Soul of the Laws, and, as it were, the Sting of Justice in the World, and Commonwealths. This mixture of the good we hope for, and the evil we fear, is, and hath been always the Cement of States and Empires: And for this reason a spirit of love and fear is necessary in all Laws and Governments, to the end, when one gives Crowns, Darts and Thunderbolts may be seen in the hand of the other, which prevents abuse of favours, and the suffering ourselves to be carried away by the attractives of Mercy, with a general contempt of Justice. It was not then without reason, the written Law hath her Benedictions and Maledictions; since by the one she bridleth all Vices, and by the other she excites unto Virtue; and it is for the same cause, Moses who in an eminent degree possessed all the qualities of a perfect Statesman, and had passed through all the Offices which render men the Intelligences of Nations, was resolved in a manner to finish his Testament, by promises for the Good, and threats for the Wicked. You need but peruse the ensuing Chapters of Deuteronomy, where even to the thirtieth, you see nothing but Favours and Benedictions for those that shall keep the Law; and on the contrary, nothing but Terrors and Maledictions for such as shall infringe it. I swear unto thee, saith he, my poor people, That if thou hast heard, and deeply engraven all the Commandments of God in thy mind; and if thou art resolved to put them in practice, Si autem audieris vocem Domini Dei tui ut facias atque cusiodias omnia mandata ejus, quae ego praecipio tibi hodie, faciet te Dominus Deus tuus excelfiorem cunctis gentibus, quae versantur in terra. Deut. 28. v. 1. Venientque super te universae benedictiones istae, & apprehendent te; si tamen praecepta ejus audieris. Deut. 28. v. 2. thou shalt be filled with all sorts of Benedictions. I speak it unto thee, with tears in mine eyes, and by the order of him, who is Verity itself, and whose Mercies and Vengeances are infinite: I speak it unto thee as being even now ready to die, and if during my life I have concealed nothing of all that was never so little expedient for thee, I ought not to be now silent, in so important a matter. Remember then, my dear Chrildrens, all that God hath commanded you, and that which I have so often from him announced unto you; and if you perform it as you ought, you shall be blessed in your own persons, and in your children, in City and Country; Benedictus tu in civitate, & benedictus in agro. Deut. 28. v. 3. Bevedictus fructus Ventris tui, & fructus terrae tuae, fructusque jumentorum tuorum, etc. Deut. 28. v. 4. Benedictus eris tu ingredients & egrediens. Deut. 28. v. 6. Dabit Dominus inimicos tuos qui consurgunt adversum te, corruente● in conspectu tuo, etc. Deut. 28. v. 7. Videbuntque omnes terrarum populi quod nonem domini invocatum sit super te, & timebunt te. Deut. 28. v. 10. Quod si audire nolueris vocem Domini Dei tui, ut custodias, & facias omnia mandata ejus, & ce emonias quas ego praecipio tibi, hodie, venient super te omnes maledictiones islae, & apprehendent te. Deut. 28. v. 15. Percutiat tes Dominus ulcere Aegypti. Deut. 28. v. 27. Insuper & universos languores & plagas, quae non sunt scriptae in volumine legis husus. Deut. 28. v. 61. Omnique tempore calumniam sustineas, & opprimaris violentia, nec habeas qui liberet te. Deut. 28. v. 29. Disperget te Dominus in omnes populos, à summitate terrae usque ad terminos ejus; & servies ibi diis alienis, quos & tu ignoras & patres tui, etc. Deut. 28. v. 64. and to what place soever you shall repair, at your entrance and going forth, you shall find Benedictions, in such sort, That those who shall see you, will be enforced freely to confess, That you are that chosen people whom God hath taken into his protection, and for whom the Heavens, the Elements, and Nature, are Treasures of Benedictions. In fine, you shall see your Enemies under your feet, and other Nations will not only bear you affection, but also respect; and on the contrary, if you be so unhappy as to infringe the least of these Commandments, and contemn these Laws, I have so often declared to you, or those Ceremonies I have so publicly established, your Privileges shall be changed into punishments, and your Favours into execrations, which will at last make you the subject of all the Plagues wherewith Egypt hath been heretofore so cruelly afflicted, and you shall even feel some which you never yet heard of, or at least, whereof you shall not find any mention in this Book. What pity will it be to see you a reproach and scorn to the most barbarous Nations in the World, amongst whom you shall nevertheless be dispersed, to serve their unknown gods and masters, who will give you neither truce nor repose, no more than your own consciences, which will always carry Vultures and Vipers, to torment you without pity or intermission. Your hearts will have disturbing terrors, and your wand'ring eyes will cast darts, as infallible marks of the misertes and tyranny you shall undergo. It is also the doleful portion, and the most usual course of the wicked, to live amidst frights, fears, which like so many Gaolers, both day and night surround an unhappy soul, which sees nothing but Spectres and Phantasms which solicit her ruin; so that you will be always like Criminals, whose eyes are already veiled, whose necks are laid down, and hands tied in expectation of the fatal stroke, which will in an instant sever their heads from their bodies. Scarce shall the Sun be risen, when you will say with sighs, Dabit enim tibi Dominus ibi cor pavidum, & deficientes oculos, & animam consumptam moerore. Deut. 28. v. 65. Manè dices: Quis wihi det vesperum? & vespere: Quis mihi det manè. Deut. 28. v. 67. Ah! Who will assure me, that I may be secure till night, and in the Evening some new apprehension will even tear this complaint out of your mouths, Ah! I know not whether I shall ever see day! Alas, who will give me then some assurance of it? Sinners, where are we? Is this to live, to die every moment? and can we call by the name of life, a train of pains, torments, wounds, terrors, and deaths? O life, how sweet art thou, when thou dost fear and love nothing but God O death, how dreadful art thou, when we have followed and loved some other than God What Favours and Benedictions, in the life and death of a virtuous man! But what horrors, Anathemaes, and Maledictions, during the course, and end of the life of a sinner. Alas! My dear Reader, reflect a little, I beseech thee, on these Verities, and if the voice of thy Conscience, and the examples thou seest daily before thy eyes cannot move thee; come then again in spirit with the children of Israel, and the predestinated souls, hear the voice and exhortation of Moses, take a while his Testament into thy hands; and then casting thy eyes upon every Article, fix thy thoughts upon that, where he speaks unto all the Tribes, and where after Moses had addressed himself into all sorts of States and Conditions, of men and women, which were gathered together about him, he saith unto them, That he spoke not only unto those that were present, but also unto the absent; and therefore it is unto thee, and to all men of the world, this discourse must be directed. Hear then mortal men your Lawgiver, hear your Lord, your Master, and your Prophet, who conjures you to look back upon the past ages; and when you shall come to those dreadful days, in which the Sun, and all the Lights of Heaven shall be obscured by fire, sulphur, and the shameful smokes of those infamous Cities, which the spirit of the justest furies of God had consumed and reduced into ashes, Interrogate these frightful Relics, and they will tell you, That these are the tracts of the Vengeances of Heaven, and the remnants of those, who have broken with God, that Faith which they owed him. In fine, to conclude this whole discourse with Moses. What is more sweet and easy, saith this Holy Man, Mandatum hoe quod ego praecipio tibi body, non supra te est, neque procul positum. Deut. 30. v. 11. than to live under the Laws of so holy a Religion, and carefully to observe all those orders which have been dictated by the mouth of a God, whose rigours and decrees cannot be but most just. What can there be in all that is commanded you, which exceeds your forces, and is beyond your capacity, or too far distanced from your power? Nec in caele situm, ut possis dicere: Quis nostrum valet ad caelum ascendere, ut deferat illud ad nos, & audiamus atque opere compleamus? Deut. 30. v. 12. Considera quod hodie proposuerim in conspectu tuo vitam & bonum, & è contraria mortem & malum. Deut. 30. v. 15. Testes invoco bodic calum & terram, etc. Deut. 30. v. 19 Et diligas Dominum Deum tuum, atque obedias voci ejus, & illi adhaereas (ipse est enim vita tua, & longitudo dierum tuorum) ut habites in terra, pro qua juravit Dominus patribus tuis, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, ut daret eam illis. Deut. 30. v. 20. It is not necessary to mount so high as the Heavens, and to pass beyond the Seas, to learn and perform what is enjoined you; For what is there, you may not do, and know? and where much trouble is not required to accomplish it. The words of God refound in your ears, they are near your mouths and hearts; Ingrave then deeply in your minds, all that I have this day said unto you, and above all, remember that on the one side I have proposed happiness, and life, and on the other, misfortune and death. I call Heaven and Earth to witness the choice I have given you; it is then your part to prefer either good or evil, and choose rather life than death; to the end, you may live with all your children, in the peace and obedience you owe unto God, and to fix your minds and hearts so strongly on him, that you may live only for, and in him; for he is the soul of your spirits, on him alone depends the course of your life, and it is his hand which will conduct you into this fortunate Land which he promised to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel, it is unto thee Moses speaks, and it is unto you, Christian People, that the echo of this voice is addressed, and loudly resounds in the Law of Grace, and of the Messiah. Do not say then, Who shall ascend unto Heaven, who shall cause Jesus Christ to descend, who shall draw him out of the Sepulchre, or who can descend into the Abyss? It is not required thou shouldst do these impossible things, and which are already done, it sufficeth thou perform what lies in thy power, and what thou oughtest, and the rest shall be granted thee. O my Jesus! How sweet is thy yoke, and how reasonable is thy Will! Anathema to all those, who refuse obedience to thy most holy commands, whilst these faithful servants shall enjoy those Favours and Benections, which thou from all eternity hast reserved for thy Elect. CHAP. XLVIII. The last Canticle of Moses. WHen once we give up ourselves as a prey unto Vices, the longest period of our lives commonly serves but to wove the largest Web of misery; but also when years pass away in virtuous actions, they are but miraculous courses, the moments whereof are illustrious, and their events most happy. And it is for this cause, I believe, that the Wiseman compared the life of the good to the Sun, which produceth nothing but Beauties and Lights; whereas the life of the wicked is tenebrous, bringing forth nothing but Lightnings and Obscurities. Now, if ever the life of any person hath been full of glory, prosperity, and happiness, though daily intermixed with afflictions and disquiets, it was that of Moses, of whom we may justly say, what heretofore Carthage did of certain Captains, That all the days of his life, and all his actions had something I know not of Divine, and transcending the capacity of man: Nevertheless, all the prodigies and miracles he wrought, would have been but streams which lose themselves in running, and clarities which vanish after some sparklings, if his death had not been the Image of his life, and even the moment God chose to manifest to him the particular care he took of his people, in giving him Josua for a Successor, and assuring him, that after his death they should enter into those happy Countries they had so long expected. To this effect God descended in the Pillar of the Cloud, as on his Throne, Apparuitque Dominus ibi in Columna nubis, etc. Deut. 31. v. 15. and spoke familiarly unto Moses, concealing nothing from him of all that was to come. Was not this an admirable Colloquy? God alone with Moses and Josua, as to ratify the choice of the one, and to discharge his heart into the bosom of the other. Moses, saith he, Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Ecce tu darmies cum patribus tuis, & populus iste consurgens fornicabitur post Deos alienos in terra, ad quam ingreditur ut habitet in ea, thy derelinquet me, & irritum faciet foedus quod pepegi cum eo. Deut. 31. v. 16. Et irascetur furor meus contra eum in die illo, & derelinquam eum, etc. Deut. 31. v. 17. this people for whom I had so much tenderness and love, and which thou hast conducted with so much labour and zeal, shall shortly enter into the Land I have so long promised them. But whilst thou shalt enjoy the repose of thy forefathers, these miserable wretches will become fornicators, and adhere unto Idols, and shamefully break that faith they have so often sworn to me. I shall be enforced to immolate them unto my severest rigours, and as so many victims to sacrifice them to my just indignation, to the end in the height of their miseries, they may know at last, that I have abandoned them; and besides, all their misfortunes and punishments are but the lamentable effects of their crimes, and the inevitable darts of that fury they have provoked. Behold the cause, Nunc itaque scribite vobis Canticum istud, & docete filios Israel: ut memoriter teveant, & ore decantent, etc. Deut. 31. v. 19 why God commanded Moses to compose a Canticle which contains a description of the Miracles he had done in favour of the people of Israel, which ever since the Hebrews have styled an abridgement of the Law, and which, as in effect we shall immediately see, is a Summary of the rarest wonders God hath ever done for men, and namely for these ingrates unto whom Moses made the first recital thereof, enjoining all of them to learn the same, and never to forget it. Stop your course, saith he, you beautiful Planets which move in the day over our heads, and march under our feet, whilst we are at rest, and under the shade. Sun, who incessantly dost run upon this azure, and luminous Chariot, Audite caeli quae loquor, audiat terra verba oru mei. Deut. 32. v. 1. and thou Moon, whose so various revolutions are made in a list of Diamonds and Saphires, stand still awhile, and listen to this discourse; Heaven and Earth I call you for witnesses of my words, and it is unto you I address my voice, to the end if men do not hear me, you may be more sensible, and frame at least some Consort to cause this Canticle of honour and praise to resound. Let my words produce in my mouth, Concrescat ut pluvia doctrina mea, slaat ut ros clequium meum, quasi imber super herbam, & quas● stillae super gramina. Deut: 32. v. 2. Quia nomen Domini invocabo: date magnificentiam Deo nostro. Deut. 32. v. 3. and in your hearts, what water doth in the bosom of the Earth, rain upon herbs, and dew upon fruits and flowers, to the end Virtue may there spring again, and that some profit of my discourse may appear in your souls. Render then unto God the praises you own him, and exalt his name, whilst I shall invoke it, and cause the memory of his benefits to resound in all places. Is it not true that his works are perfect, Dei perfectasunt opera, & omnes via ejus judicia, Deus fidelis, & absque ullae iniquitate, justus & rectus. Deut. 32. v. 4. and that with weight and measure he hath made all that is visible to our eyes? What can be added unto the most beautiful draughts of his Goodness, Power, Wisdom and Sanctity; He is most just, most Good, most holy, most Wise, most Powerful; and all the beauties which have any spelndour, are but the marks and tracts of such as reside in him, as in their Fountain. Have you never contemplated his designs, and the effects of his Divine Providence, which hath ordered the Planets in their Orbs, the Elements in their spaces, and all bodies in their temperaments, and under those Laws which best suit with their essence. Should not the whole Universe be converted into mouths and tongues to praise him, into Spirits to admire him, into Hearts to love him? What meaneth this great preparation, and all this pomp, to which honours and congratulations are rendered, and to which so many applauses are given, unless to show some rays of light which have been drawn by his own hand, and formed by his sole word. But, O horror and abomination! Peceaverunt ei, & non filii ejus in sordibus: generatio prava atque perversa. Deut. 32. v. 5 all these discourses are unprofitable! for his own Children deride his Paternal goodness, and you yourselves, to whom I direct my speech, are so blind and barbarous as to repay all his benefits with contempt and disloyalty. Is this then, Jensless people, Haeecine reddis Domino popule slulte & insipiens? nunquid non ipse est pater tuus, qui pessedit te, & secit, & cre●vit te? Deut. 32. v. 6. the compensation you afford your Creator? and will you at last by your paricidial Blasphemies, deny that he is your Father, and that he hath preserved you a thousand times from the dangers and miseries which you yourself could not avoid? Unnatural Children, perfidious race, devoid of courage and counsel, what acknowledgements will you render him for all his favours, and what tribute have you hitherto paid unto his Magnificence? Ingrateful people, have you no shame, and when you turn back into the way from whence you come, and into the bondage out of which he hath delivered you, what thanks-givings do you render unto your Deliverer? But if you suspect my words, consult your Ancestors, Memento dierum antiquorum, cogita generationes singulas, interroga patrem tuum, & annuntiabit tibi, majores tuos, & dicent tibi. Deut. 32. v. 7. Quando dividebat altissimus gentes, quande separabat filios Adam, constituit terminos populorum juxta numerum siliorum Israel. Deut. 32. v. 8. Pars autem Domini populus ejus: Jacob famculus haereditatis ejus. Deut. 32. v. 9 Invenit eum in terra deserta, in loco horroris, & vastae solitudinis, circumduxit eum & docuit, & custodivit quasi pupillam oculi sui. Den. 32. v. 10 and conjure your forefathers, to tell you how often he hath preserved them from the fury and arms of your enemies. Advance yet farther, and ascend even to the Source of Ages, and of all your generations. You shall learn that it was his hand which divided the Universe, placed order even in the Confusion of Babel, and gave limits unto Seas, and bounds unto every Province, yet in such sort, the Hebrews in this common partition have had the favour to be advantaged above all Nations, God having chosen these people for his peculiar inheritance, and reserved them to himself as the fairest and most assured of his possessions. All these infortunates groaned under the C ptivity of Egypt, when his sage Providence marked out to them habitations in the midst of frightful Deserts, and when it forced the Air, the Clouds, and the Earth to work miracles for them, without which they had perished a thousand times with hunger, thirst, and horrors. A man would have even sworn, that every one in particular had been more precious to him, than the Apple of his eye, and this made him during this whole voyage keep fire, and a Pillar formed of a Cloud, which served them still for a guide in the midst of so many dangers. This good father did just as an Eagle, Sicut aquila prevocans ad volandum pullos suos, & super eos volitans expandit alas & assumpsit eum atque portavit in humer is suis, Deut. 32. v. 11. which seeing her young but newly covered with feathers, entices them out of the nest, and then sets them on her wings, to teach them gently to fly: for he placed himself in the head of our troops, and brought us through our enemies, as on his shoulders, resolving to be himself our Shield, our Defence, and our Conductor, over the billows of the Sea, and in the darkest Wildernesses, in despite of all the assaults of our Enemies, against whom he taught us to fight, overcome, and triumph. Yes, Dominus solus Dux ejus fuit, & non erat cum eo Deus alienus. Deut. 32. v. 12. my people, it is this victorious arm, and this most powerful hand, which hath drawn thee out of these dreadful Sepulchers, and which under the dry and arrid sands of a Desert made Fountains of living waters spring up to mix with a miraculous Bread which his goodness sent thee from Heaven. Now beheld thee● on the Confines of a Land, Constituit eum super excelsam terram: ut comederetfructus agrorum, ut sugeret mel de petra, oleumque de saxo durissimo. Deut. 32. v. 13. Bulyrum de armento, & lae de ovibus cum adipe agnorum, etc. Deut. 32. v. 14. the most fertile and pleasant in the world. Thou goest into a Paradise of delights, and into an abode of peace and repose, where the Bees make their Honey, and the Olive trees bear their fruits even upon Rocks and stones. There it is where the Air is always calm, and the Stars always Serene, the very sheep are so fat in the Meadows and Pastures, that in all seasons of the year Milk and Lambs are there to be found. Ah! Incrassatus est dilcotus et recalcitravit; incrassatus, inpinguatus, dilatatus, derecliquit Deum factorem suum, & recessit à Deo salutari suo. Deut. 32. v. 15. ingrateful people, what wilt thou render for so many benefits, and what homage wilt thou do unto him, whom thou canst not recompense but by acknowledgements? What! wilt thou present Gall and Poison unto God, who gives thee the most delicious wine in Nature, and after thou shalt grow fat, Provocaverunt eum in dtis alienis, & in abominationibus ad iracundiam concitaverunt. Deut. 32. v. 19 like a wild and untamed Colt, wilt thou refuse the bit? Art thou so bold, as to kick against thy Master, and to prefer before his Laws thy own appetites, capricious humours, and Idolatrous passions which make thee adore the weakness of some false Divinities in stead of his power. Is not this to be mad even to rage, and a thousand times more brutish than beasts, which have no other guide than sense, and yet often bear some respect to their benefactors. Alas! do not flatter then this cruel Idolatry, Immolaverunt Daemoniis & non Deo, diis quos ignorabant: novi recentesque venerunt quos non coluernnt patres corum. Deut. 32. v. 17. Deum qui te genuit dereliquisii, & oblitua es Domini Creatoris tui. Deut. 32. v. 18. Vidit Dominus, & ad iracundiam concitatus est: quia provocaverunt cum silti sui & filia. Deut. 32. v. 19 Et ait: abscondam faciem meam ab eyes, & considerabo novissima eorum, generatio enim perversa est, & infideles filii. Deut. 32. v. 20. Ipsi me provocaverunt in eo qui non crat Deus, & in itaverunt in vanitatibus suis: Et ego provocabo eos in co qui non est populus, & in gente stulta irritabo illos. Deut. 32. v. 21. Ignis succensus est in furore meo, & ardebit usque ad inferni novissima, devorabitque terram cum germine suo, & montium sundamenta comburet. Deut. 32. v. 22. and these more than brutish contempts, which enslave you to wood and stones, tearing out of your hearts that love and respect which you own unto your God. You have said, perfidious men as you are, you have said, that you have no other God than these Idols, or at least you have effaced out of your souls all the marks of him who alone deserves Altars in quality of your Creator. But he hath piercing eyes, and penetrating looks, which have brought day even into the night of your foulest treasons, and now all the torches of his wrath are lighted, and the Spirit of his anger is ready to dart the thunderbolts of his indignation upon all your Children. Yes, saith he, I will withdraw myself from this perverse and unbelieving Nation, and in vain shall they call upon me in their miseries, for I will not vouchsafe to look upon them, or else in seeing them, I will laugh at them; and all the enemies I have made the miserable subject of their Victories shall change fortune with them; For my part I will no longer have all those amiable tendernesses and Paternal affections I had for their Ancestors, and so dearly conserved for them who are their Children. In vain then do they seek in me some signs of goodness; for my Justice is irritated, and the ardours of my wrath have kindled a fire which will never be quenched, and when they shall go even hiding themselves under the Abysses of the Earth, I swear unto them, that they shall there find devouring flames, and merciless Piles, which will reduce the Earth unto Ashes, Congrreabo super eos mala, & sagittas meas complebo in eyes. Deut. 32. v. 23. Consumentur fame, & devorabunt eos aves morsu amarissimo: Dentes bestiarum immittam in eos, cum furore trahentium super terram, atque serpentium. Deut. 32. v. 24. Foris vastabit eos gladius, & intus pavor, juvenem simul ac virginem, lactantem cum homine seen. Deu. 32. v. 25. Dixi: Ubinam sunt? cessare faciam ex hominibus memoriam eorum. Deut. 32. v. 26. Sed propter iram inimicorum distuli ne forcè superbirent hostes torum, & dicerent, manus nostra excelsa, & non Dominus, fecit haec omnia. Deut. 32. v. 27. and consume all the fruits thereof, and having dried up the Rivers, will convert the proudest and highest Mountains, into the most frightful & horrid Sepulchers, so that all my Arrows and Darts will instantly fall upon the infamous heads of all those Criminals. They shall be seen dying with hunger in the streets, and their bodies shall serve as a prey unto those cruel birds, and those pitiless beasts, which live but on blood and slaughter. Besides, I will make them fall under the edge of my Sword amidst the fields, and in the heart of Cities, fear and terror shall erect for them a Thousand Scaffolds to keep them continually in the horrors of death, or in the the rigours of punishment, without spanring either Women or Children, from the eldest, even to him that hangs on the breast. Thus will I disperse them, and I will fix shameful reproaches on them, as an abandoned people, whose name and memory is forgotten amongst Nations. Nevertheless, I have long with held the darts of my vengeance, to the end all those enemies which shall make war against them, and shall be the Instruments of my Justice, might not be so blind and insolent, as proudly to attribute unto their Forces the ruin of this people, which I will destroy with my own hand in punishment of their Rebellion and Apostasy. Gens absque confilio est, & fine prudentia. Deut. 32. v. 28. These are impudent men, who are ignorant of my Judgements, and of the course of my Providence, which most wisely, and with order disposeth as well of punishments as rewards. Alas! utinam saperent & imelligerent, ac novissima providerent. Deut. 32.29. why do they not reap benefit of other men's miseries, and why do not the unhappy examples, which are before their eyes, pass even into their souls, to render them more prudent, or at least to make them foresee the utmost extremities of my wrath, and of the miseries which will befall them? Are these ignorant people so blind, as not to discern this arm which makes them the reproach of Nations? Quomodo persequatur unus mille, & duo sugent decem millia? nun ideo quia Deus juus vendidit eos, & conclusit illos. Deut. 32. v. 30. Are they not ashamed to see a thousand of them flying at the sight of one Enemy, and two men able to rout ten thousand of their Combatants? Is not this to give them up unto the mercy of their Adversaries, as one would deliver up Merchandises unto a man who had paid him ready Money? The Great God also of Israel cannot have Criminal Complacences for sin, like the Gods of other Nations, Non exim est Deus noster ut dii eorum: & Dominus inimici nostri sunt judice. Deut. 32. v. 31. who have neither rewards nor punishments; but he is always armed against Crimes. And the Egyptians have had sufficient experience of it, to their Cost, as well as the Amalekites, the Amorites, and other Countries. After this, Traitors that you are, will you be so insolent and bold, as to seek a more gentle usage? In truth, will not this indulgence be blamable, and will you not have occasion to despise all the Thunderbolts of my Justice, and to publish every where, that I am either an unjust, or impotent God. You for whom I had so many cares, De vinea Sodomorum, vinea eorum, & de suburbanis Gomorrhae: uva corum, uva fellis, & botri amarissimi. Deut. 32. v. 32. Fel deaconum vinum eorum, & venenum aspidum insenabile. Deut. 32. v. 33. and Cultivated as a most beloved Vine, from which I expected delicious Wine, are changed into a Vine of Sodom, and the Grapes you have given me, are like those which grow in the Suburbs of Gomorrha; this is but a very bitter Poison, and the gall of a Dragon or Viper, which poisoneth and stifleth at the instant it is drunk. It belongs then unto me to take vengeance on all their disloyalties; Nun haec condita sunt apud me & signata in thesauris me●. Deut. 32. v. 34. Mea est ultio, & ego retribuam in tempore, ut labatur pes coram, juxta est dies perditionis, & adesse festinane tempora. Deut. 32. v. 35. and do not persuade yourselves that I can ever forget them; for I have treasuries of wrath and indignation, where I reserve the Darts of my Justice, to cast them according to my good pleasure. The hour will come when you shall find yourselves under the strokes of my vengeance, and shall fall into the Abyss of misfortunes. All moments do already press, and you will quickly be surprised with the blinding obscurity of a day, which shall have no lights, but to make you see and feel the shafts of my wrath, and the Thunderbolts of my indignation. This will be the great day of our Lord, Judicabit Dominus populum suum, & in servis suis missrabitur: videbit quod infirmata sit manus, & clausi quoque defecerunt, residuique consumpti sunt. Deut. 32. v. 36. Et dicet: ubi sunt dii eorum, in quibus habebant fiduciam? Deut. 32. v. 37. De quorum victimis Comedebant adipes, & bibebant vinum libaminum: surgant, & & opitulentur vobis, & in necessitate vos protegant. Deut. 32. v. 38. Videte quòd ego sim solus, & non sit alius Deus praeter me: Ego occidam, & ego vivere faciam: percutiam, & ego sanabo, & non est qui de manu mea possit eruere. Deut. 32. v. 39 Levabo ad caelum manum meam, & dicam: Vivo ego in aeternum. Deut. 32. v. 40. Si acuero ut fulgur gladium meum, & arripuerit judicium manus mea: reddam ●ltionem hostibus meis, & his qui oderunt me retribuam. Deut. 32. v. 41. Inebriabo sagiteas meas sanguine; & gladius meus devorabit carnes de cruore occisorum, & de captivitate, nudati inimicorum capitis Deut. 32. v. 42. and the dreadful period of an irritated patience; Alas what day! what Tribunal! What Assizes, and what Judgements! This will be the fortunate moment which mercy hath ordained to crown the merits of Virtue, and the frightful Instant which Justice hath decreed for the punishment of sins. Then all the force, pride, and power of the Jews shall appear but weakness, and even those who think to be in Cities, and in their Towers, as in places of security, shall be miserably oppressed; And than what Answer will these miserable wretches make unto the voice of God, who will lay a thousand reproaches on them, and in deriding their Miseries, will say, Alas! then where are those Gods whom you idolatrize, and in whom you place your Assurances? where are those who did eat the fat of the Victims which they have immolated, and drank the Wine of their Sacrifices? Let them now rise up and secure you in so pressing necessities. In fine, now acknowledge whether there be another God than myself, who is able to dispose of life and death, of Evil and the remedy, and whose power is so absolute as no man can resist it. It is I, the living God, that I am, who will lift up my hand unto Heaven, and if I sharpen my Sword, and if I enkindle its Edge, like Lightning, to make you undergo the rigour of my severest Judgements, the thunder of my vengeances shall fall on my enemies, and upon all those who shall wage War against me, as a furious lightning, which shall consume all that it strikes by the breath of its ardours, and devouring flames; afterwards I will steep my merciless darts and arrows in the blood of Rebels, and I will satiate my justest furies in the most horrid slaughter of those bodies which have been massacred, sparing neither Masters nor slaves. Let the Gentiles learn then, from hence, the praise they ought to give unto this people, who have a God whose goodnesses are always favourable to those whom he loves, Laudate gentes populum ejus, quie sanguinem servorum suorum ulciscetur, etc. Deut. 32. v. 43. and whose vengeances are dreadful to his enemies. Behold, my dear Reader, the end of this famous Canticle, which was first recited in the presence of all the people of Israel, and which contains a description of the miracles God wrought to deliver them out of Captivity; It was likewise a powerful exhortation, which ought to oblige them either by force or sweetness to remain faithful in the service of so good and powerful a Master. But this was to sing in the ears of Tigers, whose fury is the more irritated, when they hear any Music. Christians, let us not do the like, but benefit ourselves at the expense of this people; And faithfully keep the Laws and Commandments God hath given us, let us listen once more unto the last words of Moses, and of our Prophet, who speaks both to them and us. My dear Children, I have nothing else to say, Et dixit, ad eos: Ponite corda vestra in omnia verba, quae ego testificor vobis heaie, ut mandetis ea si●●i● vestris custodire & facere, & implere universa quae scripta sunt legis hujus. Deut. 32. v. 46. Quia non in cass●● praecepta sunt vobis, sed ut singuli in eyes viverent quae facientes longo perseveretis tempore in terra, ad quam Jordane transmisso, ingredimini possidendam. Deut. 32. v. 47. and ask of you before my death, but that you would seriously consider what I have delivered to you, and that you would deeply imprint it both in your own and your children's hearts, to the end you may all practise and accomplish it: for these Laws have not been established in vain, but to the end they may keep you, if you keep them, and that they may conserve you with bonds of peace and love in this blessed Land into which you are going, after your passage over Jordan. CHAP. XLIX. The Death of Moses at the sight of the holy Land. IN fine, after forty years of travel, behold us with the people of Israel upon the Confines of the Land of Promise. All our enemies are vanquished, our Chains are broken, the Sea hath suspended its billows to make us a passage, the bitternesses of Mara are changed into delights, the Heavens have reigned down nothing but Manna, on our deserts, and total Nature hath wrought miracles to serve us. But alas we know not what will be the issue of all these happy accidents, and of these admirable prodigies: for the Aspects of this amiable Intelligence, which have been as it were our stars, amidst so many obscurities, and these arms which have been so often lifted up towards Heaven for our safety, after they had conducted and delivered us amidst so many dangers, are now even ready, methinks, to languish and decay. In truth, the Judgements of God are frightful Abysses, and it were to lose ourselves, to enter into them with other lights, than those of Faith and Love: All our fairest designs are sometimes, but the draughts and Images of a dream, where our proudest hopes meet only with a Tomb. Have we not seen Conquerors, who having measured by their Triumphs the richest parts of the Universe, banished into some corner of the Earth; and into the Gates of some Cities, where they scarce found any Sepulchre? Behold the period of their Combats, the end of their Triumphs, and the Occident of all these Stars which shined not, but amongst Laurels. Behold them in lamentations, in blood, and under some Cypress tree, which formeth the funestous Crown of their ambition, and the Tomb of their memory. Is this the fatal end of their desires, the subject of their tears, and the period of their projects? At least if their Children were their heirs, and if these doleful issues could open them a passage, and give them some entrance into the Empires of honour and immortality, after which they had so long sighed, they would receive this consolation, that their death had been the life of others, and that in dying, they had rendered themselves immortal. But even those who have not born arms, but by express order from God, and have had no other design in the conduct of their Troops, than to conserve his Empire, and enlarge the bounds of his Dominions, cannot be freed from paying tribute unto death. Who could believe, that it durst assault Moses, and that this great Captain who had hitherto cast terror and dread into the Armies of his Enemies, and so often preserved the lives of his Party, should be reduced to the point of being necessitated to undergo the last assaults of Nature? Who would believe, that he must now be treated like the meanest of persons? but this usage is very gentle, and these assaults do not affright him, since he sings in dying, and that these last words are no other than Benedictions for his people, and Prophecies concerning all that was to happen unto the Children of Israel. My children, saith he, Haec est benedictio, qua benedixit Moses, bomo Dei, filiis Israel ance mortem suam. Deut. 33. v. 1. Et ait: Dominus d● Sinai venit, & de Seiortus est nobis: apparuit de monte Pharan, & cum eo sanctorum millia. In dextera ejus ignea lex. Deut. 33. the Lord who came unto us on the top of Mount Sina, to hold his first Sessions upon a Throne of Fire, and a Tribunal of Flames; This beautiful Sun which risen about the Mountain of Seir, and whose Rays stifled all those furious Serpents which persecuted us; This King who appeared to us on the Summit of Mount Paran, to establish our Judges; This God who is always followed by millions of Angels, and whose Majesty sufficiently made its self to be felt, when he appeared holding in his hands the Law which he gave us amidst the Thunders and Lightnings; It is he who hath wrought these miracles of Love, Dilexit populos, omnes sancti in manu illius sunt: & qui apprepinquant pedibus ejus, accipient de doctrina illius. Deut. 33. v. 3. Legem praecepit nobis Moses, haereditatem multitudinis Jacob. Deut. 33. v. 4. and prodigies of Goodness and Power, in testimony, That you are his well-beloved people, and that he hath no common cares and tendernesses, for those who are like yourselves more peculiarly consecrated unto him. The Law which I leave you by his order, is then your Inheritance, and the fairest possessions, which I even now dying, leave unto all your Successors. I beseech this great God of our Forefathers, Vivae Reuben, & non moriatur, & sit parvus in numero. Deut. 33. v. 6. that the Posterity of Reuben may extend itself without limits, even beyond time: But I cannot divert the shafts of his Justice, which will fall on this guilty Race, and which shall be always small in number, by reason of the incest which hath infected the first of their name. Haec est Judae benedictio: Audi Domine vocem Judae: Et ad populum suum introduc eum: Manus ejus pugnabunt pro eo, & adjutor illins contra adversarios ejus erit. Deut. 33. v. 7. Levi quoque ait: Perfectio tua, & doctrina tua viro sancto tuo, etc. Deut. 33. v. 8. Lord be propitious unto the children of Juda; and when this Prince of the Tribes shall march in the head of your troops, overthrew all his enemies; and by the power of the Arm of the great God of Battles, let him enter the Holy Land. I expect also from God, that his goodness would conserve in the house of Levi, the Priesthood of Aaron, with the Ornaments, and other principal qualities, which are, as it were, the eyes and souls of so holy, and so illustrious a Dignity. Et Benjamin ait: Ammantissimus Domini habitabit confidenter in eo, quast in thalamo, tota die morabitur, & inter humeros illius requiescet. Deut. 33. v. 12. I leave unto Benjamin, all that which the power of the world can neither give nor take away from him: It is the affection of a God who hath made choice of his Territories, there to build his Temple, and ordained his Tribe to extract thence the Kings of the people of Israel: It is also, as it were, in the bosom, and on the back of this his Favourite, that the Divinity will take repose, as in a Bed of Love, and will cause his glory to break forth as on a Throne of Honor. As for Joseph, Joseph quoque ait: de benedictione Domini terra ejus, de pomis caeli, & roar, atque abysso subjacente. Deut. 33. v. 13. Et super verticem Nazaraei inter fratres sues. Deut. 33. v. 16. and his Offspring, the Earth, and the Heavens will make an amorous war against each other, and will have a secret emulation to fill them with their benefits; and he that appeared to me in the flaming Bush will descend, as I promise myself from his mercy, upon the head of this Nazarite, who hath already changed his Prison into a Throne, and to whom the envy of his Brethren served but to raise him above themselves, and render him the Vicegerent of Pharaoh. The happy Line of Zabulon, and Issachar, Et Zabulon ait: Latare Zabulon in exitu tuo, & Issachar in tabernaculis tuis. Deut. 33. v. 18. Populos vocabunt ad montem: ibi immolabunt victimas susti●iae. etc. Deut. 33. v. 19 have no cause to be sad; for they will quietly enjoy all the advantages of the traffic they shall exercise on their shores: And both of them by words and examples, shall teach the other Tribes, and invite them to repair unto Mount Zion, to render unto God in his Temple, the Worship and Honours which are due unto him. Lion's have not more courage and strength, Et Gad ait: benedictus in latitudine Gad, quasi leo requievit, cepi●que brachium & verticem. Deut. 33. v. 20. than the Children of Gad, and in effect they have already given chase to all their enemies, and the Amorites have in a manner given them entrance into those vast Possessions of Canaan, of which they shall be the masters. Those of Dan also are as so many little Lions, Dan quoque ait: Dan catulus leonu, fluet largiter de Basan. Deut. 33. v. 22. like those of Basan; the Philistims shall one day become their prey, and the City which bears their name, shall be as the Spring of Jordan, and the Nursing-mother of other Provinces. Concerning Naphtali, Et Nepthali dixit: Nepthali abundantia perfruetur, & plenus erit benedictionibus Domini: mare & meridiem possidebit. Deu. 33. v. 23. Aser quoque ait: benedictus in filiis Aser, sit placens fratribus suis, etc. Deut. 33. v. 24. Habitabit Israel confidenter & solus, etc. Deut. 33. v. 28. Beatus es tu Israel: Quis similis tui popule, qui salvaris in Domino, scutum auxilii tui, & gladius gleriae tuae; negabunt te inimici tui, & tu corum colla calcabis. Deut. 33. v. 29. his portion shall be filled with all sorts of Benedictions, and his Children under their jurisdiction shall behold Lands, even from West to South. In fine, Asher shall be blessed in himself, and his generations, which have received as for their share, the art of gaining hearts, with divers others Favours, without which the most illustrious Qualities, and attractive Charms shall be but a specious subject of Contempt and Misery. O Israel, chosen people of God, predestinated Nation, Children of so many Saints, are you not than most happy in having a God over your heads, who sees the Heavens, the Air, and the Clouds rolling under his feet, from whence he hath so often shot Thunderbolts against your enemies? It is then by the Magnificence, and Power of this thundering Arm, and from these victorious hands you are going to become masters of Canaan, and so long as you shall remain faithful to the Lord, who hath taken you into his protection, you shall be in him as in a Sanctuary of Peace, and in a Fort, before which, all the Arms of the World, and Hell, are but as so many small pieces of straw, and some breath of wind, and smoke, which vanish in a moment. It is enough for me to leave you in the arms of so absolute a Monarch, so merciful a Father, and so prudent a Governor. Farewell then Israel, farewel my dear Children, farewel my poor people, I go hence whither this great God calls me. I have lived too long on Earth amongst men, and in a world which is but a valley of Miseries, and Calamities. Ascendit ergo Moises de campestribus Moab super montem Nebo, etc. Deut. 34. v. 1. Let us approach unto Heaven, where the source of all happiness resides; let us ascend the Mountain of Abarim, and the top of Nebo, where we shall behold the Stars at a nearer distance, and where, at least, with our eyes we shall mark out the period of our desires and hopes. It is thither God leads Moses, Dixitque Dominus ad eum: baec est terra pro qua juravi Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, dicens: Semini tuo dabo eam. Vidisti eam ocubis tuis non transibis ad illam. Deut. 34. v. 4. Mortuusque est Moses servus Domini in terra Moab, jubente Domino. Deut. 34. v. 5. Et sepelivit eum in valle terrae Moab contra Phagor, etc. Deut. 34. v. 6. and where he shows him in a moment all the Holy Land which he had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for their children. O God, What grief, and pleasure all at once! What theatre of death, and of life! what subject of hope and despair, and what spectacle unto a good heart, which had so long sighed after these rewards! Why were then so many prodigies, so many voyages, so many troubles, and so many combats needful to obtain at last but the sight of those Palms which he shall never gather? Moses dies, when he should but begin to live, and scarce had he seen what he had so much desired, but at the same instant God shuts his eyes, and the gates of Canaan. What sweet severity, what amiable rigour, and what sad command! Moses dies, and this incomparable Prophet, who deserved after his death to be placed amongst the Stars of the Firmament, is interred near to Mount Phogor, in the Valleys of Moab, carrying with him no other title, saving that he hath been the Servant of God: But this is sufficient, and all other Epitaphs are, at least, for the most part, but relics of some vanity. There are no cyphers but these, which neither time, nor eternity can efface, and though a thousand of them should be written and engraven on Marble and Brass, with the rays of the Sun, and with Iron, and Diamantine Gravers, yet they will either soon or late lose their lustre. Worms bear no respect, the putrification of Sepulchers devours the fairest bodies, and Time hath nights and shades which impallidate all the Stars of the day. Let Atheists, Libertines, and Infidels, seek out other Epitaphs where they please; for my part, it is enough for me to be a servant of so great a God. After this, Let us go, Children of Saints, let us go with Moses upon Mount Abarim, in the Valleys of Moab, into the Tomb, and even into the Centre of the infernal parts; we shall find every where life, repose, glory, and immortality. Never shall we be surprised having this Passport, and if the Holy Land of this World by mishap be forbidden us, all the Gates of Zion and Jerusalem, which is in Heaven, will be opened for us. O Heaven! O Earth of the living! O Jerusalem, my dear Country, when shall we be on those high Mountains, where under our feet we shall behold Times and Seasons, Winter and Summer, Sun and Moon, Air, Sea, and Earth, as well as Life and Death, with all their train? When shall we be in the Arms and Bosom, or, at least, at the Feet of this Prince, whom we serve? And when shall we go by the opening of his Wounds, even into his Heart, which is our Land of Promise? Courage then Christians, All is sweet to him, who loves, and to serve is sufficient to gain a Crown. But it is God alone whom we must love, and in so sweet and delicious a Bondage we ought to live and die. O Life, O Death, O Love, O Servitude! To live for God, to die in God, to love nothing but God, and to serve no other Master; These are the qualities of a most blessed Soul, and this is to begin on Earth that which shall never end in Heaven. Behold, my dear Reader, the end of the Law, and the first courses of our Holy History. However, our voyage hath been long enough to take some little breath, expecting till we can follow Joshua into the Land of Promise, and pass even to the Court of David, and of the first Kings of Judea. Mean while, if by mishap I have never so little gone out of the way, which was marked out to me by the invisible Lights of Faith, I publicly profess, that my Pen hath betrayed my Heart, and that I submit all my thoughts and words unto the infallible Sense of the Church, with promise upon the least advertisement I shall receive from the Wise, freely to disavow all which shall have caused my deviations. ERRATA, Emendanda. PAg. 3. Line 33. read liveless, p. 5. l 16. r. ardours, p. 142. l. 13. r. now, l. 14. r. not, p. 204. l. 15. r. pondered. p. 207. l. 1. t. Laws. FINIS. A TABLE of the principal Matters contained IN THIS TOME. A. AAron his Embassy into Egypt 267 The assurances he gave unto the people of Israel, that God had heard their clamours 322 His fear whilst Joshua pursued the Amalekites 332 The Altar he erected unto the Golden Calf 359 The excuse for his Idolatry 362 Abandonment most happy 140 Abel the Picture of Meekness 27 His employment in guiding his Father's flocks ibid. The sacrifice which he offered unto God 28 His murders by Cain 30 Abraham 52 His vocation 53 The difficulties of his voyage 60 The agreement he made with his Father-in-law Lot 65 His Charity towards Pilgrims 78 His martyrdom for three days 107 His discourse to his son Isaac 109 The advertisement which he gave him, that he was to be the victim of his sacrifice 110 His farewell to the world 60 Adam and his Creation 10 His fear and shame at the sight of God in the Terrestrial Paradise 21 He lays the fault on his wife 22 His disaster and banishment 23 Advantage by good education 128 Advertisement very remarkable of Philip of Macedon 51 Advice to fathers and mothers 267 Advice to public persons 386 Affections very regular 150 Africa tormented by Grasshoppers 289 Agar chased out of Abraham's house 73 Alexius his affection towards his father 348 Amalekites overcome by the prayers of Moses 330 St. Ambrose his authority over the Empress Justina 269 Anastasius the Emperor leaveth the Empire of Greece to be religious 58 Animals, their production 7 Antandria marvellous in her Rivers 156 Apparition of God unto Moses, and the advertisement he gave him 266 Apprenticeship of Empires 257 Lawful apprehensions 139 Very just apprehensions for worldly men 62 Ark of the Old Testament 370 Ark of the Testament, a figure of the divinity 186 Insolent artifice of Putiphers wife 185 Artifice of Rebecca in the preference of Jacob before Esau 133 Admirable artifices of God, to try the fidelity of Abraham 97 Art of digging very difficult 236 Aurelian and his Crowns of bread 81 Altar of Holocausts 373 Mysterious answers. 136 B. St. Basil, the power he had with the Emperor Valens 269 Banishment of Adam and Eve 19 Banishment of Agar and Ishmael 94 Baltilda leaves France, and became a religious woman 59 Cruel battery of Putiphers wife against the chastity of Joseph 182 Beauty, its power and tyranny, pleasing, and deadly poison 37 Benediction of God upon all Nations and Generations, in the person of Abraham 57 Deceitful Benedictions of this world 136 Benediction of the twelve Patriarches 236 Flaming Bush 257 The reality of fire, which burned it without consuming it 258 Firstborn of Egypt, their death and destruction 294 Blindness of Isaac 230 Building of the Ark 40 Supplanting Brethren 125 Bones springs of the bodies motions 12 Birds, their production. 6 C. Cain, his affection fastened to the Earth 27 His execrable insolence 30 His troubles and exiles 32 First Canticle of Moses 313 Second Canticle of Moses 404 Ignominuous captivity of Creatures in the world 335 Charlemagne, son of Charles Martel, leaves France to live out of way, on Mount Soracte 58 Doleful Catastrophies 312 Ridiculous Ceremonies 221 Ceremonies of the Old Testament 368 Certainty most uncertain 130 Charity her Antiparistasis 361 Chastity, her victories and triumphs 349 Circumcision, the command thereof 75 Circumcision, corporal figure of that which is to be in the spirit of Grace ibid. Circumcision, sign of peace 76 Circumcision, Image of Faith ibid. Mark of distinction ibid. Sequence of original sin ibid. Clotarius, his victories which he gained by the means of prayer 333 Combat of Joseph, in defence of his chastity 177 Combats natural to man 326 Mournful complaint of Jacob 174 Fruitless compliments 98 Consort of creatures 8 Condemnation of false witnesses and liars 351 Divine condescendency 81 Confidence in God 28 Conscience of sinners, an inseparable Officer. 200 Inflexible courage 162 Courage, the definition of it according to St. Thomas 59 Course of Wisdom 142 Creation of the World 4 Cremona beaten by a Hail-storm 287 Cyreneans necessitated to make war against Grasshoppers 289 Complaint of Rebecca in the pains of childbearing 123 Rigorous clemency. 203 D. Deliverance of Joseph 190 Deluge, and the time when it happened 41 Devil of Egypt 181 Disasters of gluttony 129 Disorders of love 178 Design of God in the preference of Jacob before Esau 134 Disobedience, first misfortune of Adam 21 Disunion the first misfortune of the World 20 Duty of children towards their parents 347 Diamond, how it is broken 278 Dina carried away by Sichem, Prince of the Sichemites 163 Dioxipus vanquished by the beauty of a great Lady Diversity of depositions 27 Duel of grief and love 106 Decrees against the usurpation of other men's goods 350 Death of Abraham 117 Darkness of Egypt 290 Departure of the people of Israel out of Egypt 299 Decree concerning the Creation of men 10 Departure of the people of Israel out of Egypt 303 Dreams of Joseph which he revealed to his brethren 167 Dreams, their distinction according to Chrysippus. 168 E. Eclipse of reason in Wine 48 Edict against blasphemers 345 Equality sometimes dangerous 74 Egypt, the Sepulchre of the name of Israel 249 State Elegy 141 Empire of Love 102 Empire of Souls 162 Sovereign Empire of God 251 Envy, its desolations 32 Its resemblance with those bloody Birds of prey which are seen near the North Pole 33 Remedies against it 35 Its nature and qualities 175 Esau, his nature and humour 126 The love he had to hunting 128 He sells his birthright to his brother Jacob for a mess of pottage 129 He marrieth against the will of his Parents 130 Marvellous estate of man 16 Eternity, all is short to him who meditates on it 153 Eve, her Creation 17 Her disaster and banishment 19 Her discourse to Adam to deceive him 20 Her malediction 23 End of the deluge 44 Epitome of the Law 354 Eagles, a handsome mark of their affection 339 Ermine, and her Motto ibid. Extraction of great men is commonly a fair subject of miseries 135 F. Fruitfulness of women, the causes which hinder it 121 Felicity subject to alteration 123 Feasts of death 214 Memorable feast of the Hebrews 299 Fire, symbol of the Divinity 310 Firmament form in the midst of waters 5 Enigmatical Figures 136 Inviolable Fidelity 187 Fountain of Horeb 326 Fountain of the Red Sea which changeth every thing into Carnation 156 Firing of Sodom 89 Frogs of Egypt 279 Flies of Egypt 281 Fishes, their production 6 Fopperies of Idolaters and Turks 341 G. Government of Joseph in Egypt 194 Graces of God always sufficient 139 Gregory the thirteenth, the Picture he caused to be made of Peace and Justice 68 Goodness of God towards men 15 Ineffable goodness 85 Golden Calf, the adoration thereof 359 God, Creator 1 God reputes to have made man 39 God hidden under the habit of the poor 152 God never tempteth 97 God hath no need of a name, why 261 God sporteth with Jacob 148 H. Hook, and the motto thereof 350 Heliopolis, City of the Sun in Egypt 197 Heraclius, Patriark of Jerusalem, an excellent answer made by him to Henry, King of England 364 St. Hilary, his power over the Emperor Constantius 269 Homicides, their sentence of death 348 Homicides of two kinds 352 Honours rendered to Joseph by the command of Pharaoh 196 Different humours of Jacob and Esau 126 Happiness of Divine Providence 195 Wel-grounded hopes 139 Hail, plague of Egypt 286 Wretched Harvest of worldly men 152 Hail-storm in Constantinople 268 Hardness of Pharaohs heart 269 Hardness of heart, a woeful estate 271 Grasshoppers of Egypt. 289 I. Jacob and Esau 121 Figure of the Christian, and Jewish people 116 Jacob, Esau 's elder brother, and how 137 His agreement with his father-in-law Laban 155 Jacob resolves to send Benjamin into Egypt 207 His descent into Egypt, to see his son Joseph 223 The answer he made to Pharaoh concerning his age 229 His death and last words 231 Idols, and their subversion 344 Detestable Idolatry of amorous persons 39 Jethro, the counsel he gave to Moses to establish Judges, for deciding differences between the people of Israel 337 Atheistical ignorance 85 Images of Jesus Christ anciently painted in Temples and Houses, in the form of a Lamb 27 Image of a generous courage 69 Image of God's judgement 86 Image of the lives of men 126 Image of the life and death of Jesus Christ 145 Image of Chastity 184 Image of the World 198 Imagination, the effects and properties thereof 156 Unnatural impudence of Cham 48 Inconstancy of created things 113 Dreadful incertainty 135 Incarnation, its draught and picture 144 Innocence secured 170 Innocence victorious 179 Inhumanity more than brutish 220 Joseph born of Rachel 154 Joseph sold by his brethren 165 Joseph known by his brethren 214 His lamentations for the death of his Father Jacob 242 Joshua, his victories over the Amalekites 332 Isaac his birth 93 The discourse he held with his father, ask him where was the victim of his Sacrifice 108 His submission and obedience 109 His marriage with Rebecca 116 Most exact Justice 83 Judges, a fair example for them ibid. Judas, the brother of Joseph, made a speech to him in the name of his brethren 216 Judgements of God incomprehensible 290 Prodigious increase of the people of Israel 247 jacob's Ladder 141 jacob's wrestling with the Angel 159 K. Kings of France, true successors of Abraham 80 L. Laban is grieved for the barrenness of his flocks 156 His agreement with Jacob, and his return unto Mesopotamia 157 Lesson to husbands and wives 17 Leah considerable for her fruitfulness 154 Dangerous liberty 29 Liberality cannot be without freedom 79 Liberality, portrait of the Divinity, ibid. Liberty of holy Souls 80 Liberty of Esau, cause of his misfortune 128 Laws, their excellency 357 Their establishment 368 Let delivered out of the hands of his enemies, by the means of Abraham 70 Luxury destruction of souls, and canker of body 64 Love, its effects and properties 3 Love, architect of the world ibid. God's love never idle 73 Incredulous love 224 Ladder of divine providence 146 Lots wife transformed into a pillar of Salt 89 Irreparable loss 184 Life of man, a war without truce 159 Life and death inseparable companions. 231 M. Magicians of Pharaoh, and their enchantments 270 Admirable magnificence of God 58 Malediction of parents dangerous 132 Malediction of God on the Serpent 23 Malediction of Noah on his son 48 Malice of an eloquent woman 20 Manna of the desert 320 The time when it was to be gathered 323 Marriages subject to many disasters 123 Marriage of Isaac with Rebecca 116 Assured marks of our disposition 126 Martyrdom of love 103 Mixture of fortune 166 Excellent meditation 298 Pleasing Metamorphosis 63 Murder of Abel 27 Michael the Emperor, quits his Empire to enter into a religious life 58 Mirror of Essences, the motto thereof 29 World, error of some Philosophers touching the beginning thereof 8 Monarchy of Adam and Eve over the Univers 19 The world is a Theatre 116 Extreme mortification 145 Motives which induced God to create the world 1 Motives of Conscience 140 Powerful motives to divert the brethren of Joseph from wicked designs 172 Moses 246 His birth and education ibid. His learning 252 His zeal, and marriage with the daughter of the Prince of Madian 253 His fear at the sight of the flaming Bush 257 His Commission concerning the deliverance of the people of Israel 260 The certain marks of his power 263 He excuseth himself for accepting the Commission which God gave him 265 The threats God used to him 266 His Embassy into Egypt 267 He is visited in the desert, where he creates Judges and Magistrates 334 His last Actions 385 His Testament 386 His last Canticle 402 Mysteries hidden under the Paschal Lamb 300 Man necessary for the world 9 Men eloquent, when it concerns their own praise, excellent conceptions upon this subject 10 Man the sport of the gods 148 Honest man, what he is 163 N. Nature of God beneficent 320 Nature, her power limited 269 Nembrod chief contriver of the Tower of Babel, his spirit and disposition 49 Noah, his obedience to the command of God 41 His going out of the Ark, and his sacrifice on the Hills of Armenia 44 Names, Chariots of Essences 74 O. Obligation of fathers and mothers 128 Dreadful obstinacy 271 Oeconomy of the humane body 12 Opinion of Hesiod touching the Creation of the World 8 Original sin 15 Ornaments of the Sanctuary 369 P. Peace and Purity, inseparable companions 65 Terrestrial Paradise 16 Paradise first habitation of man 16 Passions, their different nature 181 Patience very awful 84 Persecution of modesty 184 Perfidiousness of the world 206 Plague of Egypt 284 Natural causes of the plague 285 Pharaoh, King of Egypt, makes Joseph his Lieutenant, by reason of the truth of his predictions 196 Command of Pharaoh, concerning the murder of all the male-childrens of the Hebrews 248 Pharaoh swallowed up in the Red Sea 304 Plagues of Egypt 275 Ancient Policy 356 Portrait of the Justice of God 86 Predictions of Joseph 192 Efficacious prayers 122 Prevision of merits 137 Proclaiming of Joseph by his Brethren 172 Promulgation of the Law on Mount Sina 343 Paternal Prudence 169 Punishment of Adam 14 Shameful pusillanimity 69 Putipher his overgreat credulity 186 The impudence of his wife, and her attempt upon the chastity of Joseph 178 Paschal Lamb 299 Planets, the beginning of their courses 5 Pillar of Fire and Clouds 379 Picture of Hell 91 Picture of Fortune 194 Pains of women in childbearing 23 Prayer, the power and effects thereof. 122 R. Rachel and her sterility 154 Radegond, a despiseth France to become religious 59 Ramerus, King of Arragon, follows the same destiny ibid. Amiable resemblance between Joseph and Jesus Christ 222 The recompense of Jacob for his services 155 Pitiful relics of sin 26 Remorse of Conscience 32 Remedies against Envy 35 Reproaches of God to Cain 28 Very just resentments 77 Rosignation of Abraham 101 Angelical resolution of Joseph 181 Rock, and its motto 102 Reuben, his affection towards his brother Joseph 173 Rivers, their bounds and limits 5 River of Charity 80 S. Sacrifices very different of Abel and Cain 28 Sacrifices of Aaron consumed by fire from Heaven 376 Sanctification of the Sabhath 346 Sarah, her death 113 How long she lived 115 Scamander, its properties & effects 156 Secret, to become master of hearts 162 Lamentable separation 141 Sephora, the command which was given her to circumcise her son 266 Diabolical Serpent, which deceived Eve in the Terrestrial Paradise 20 Brazen Serpent, which God commanded Moses to make and set up in the Wilderness 381 Sigibertus, leaves England to become religious 58 Signs of the day of Judgement 89 Simeon and Levi, their fury and cruelties upon the Sichemites 163 Pleasing spectacle 120 Twoedged swords 136 Stratagem of the Angel Raphael 137 Stratagem of Abraham 61 Statue of Justice amongst the ancient 86 Soul of a just man is the throne of God 186 Interessed souls 66 Soul source of beauty and operations 14 Slavery of love 150 Spirit of peace becomes furious, when it is irritated 69 T. Tabernacle of the Old Testament 372 Time of man's creation 12 Dreadful tempest 275 Temptations, their natures and diversities 97 Temptation, exercise of Faith ibid. Furious temptations 183 Discreet tenderness 211 Testament of Jacob 236 Thales, his opinion of God 262 Theodosius leaves the Empire of Greece to become a religious man 58 The thanksgiving he rendered unto God, for one of his vanquished enemies 333 Tomb of concupiscence 352 Thunders, plagues of Egypt 286 Tower of Babel 49 Trajan, a gallant answer made by him to the Emperor Valens 333 Warlike tranquillity 68 Triumph of love on the sacrifice of Abraham 96 Trial of love 97 Things difficult to comprehend in the World 166 Tears quench the ardours of our souls 242 Delicious tears 120 V. Vengeance and its degrees 297 Vanity of worldly men in buildings 50 Veremond, King of Castille, becomes a religious man 58 Verity makes a breach every where 199 Vesuvia, the firing of it 275 Vicissitudes of life 168 Union of the souls 145 Vocation of holy soul 57 Voice of God in silence 143 Voyage of Abraham and Sarah into the Land of Egypt 59 His victories, and the assurances which God gave him of a flourishing posterity 68 Voyage of the children of Jacob into Egypt 199 Vestments of the High Priest 374 W. Waters of Jordan respectful to the Priests, who carried the Ark of the Testament 186 Waters of Egypt converted into blood 277 Constant women 106 Weakness, worthy of compassion 46 Weakness of courage 152 Eternal war between the Woman and the Serpent 23 Works of uncreated wisdom 148 Works of the six days 4 Wisdom resembling the Sun 141 Wine, its unhappy effects. 48 Z. Zeal, the excellency and source of it 238 Zeal of the Ranters of the world 254 Indiscreet zeal ibid. True zeal. 255 FINIS. The Printer to the Reader. HIs Lordship's being out of Town hath occasioned some Errors in the Print, which the Reader may thus Correct. PAg. 3. line 33. read liveless, p. 5. l. 16. r. ardours, p. 9 l. 16. r. to his love, p. 44. l. 8. add while, p. 55. l. 5. r. Heaven, p. 60. l. 28. r. Castles for Dungeons, p. 74. l. 30. r. Covenant, p. 98. l. 37. r. love was content, p. 100 l. 3. r. Benedictions, p. 102. l. 15. r. Clarities, p. 108. l. 12. r. Isaac 's cost, p. 129. l. 4. r. avail me, p. 142. l. 13. r. now time, l. 14. r. not for needs, p. 173. l. 9 deal much, p. 204. l. 15. r. powdered, p. 207. l. 1. r. Laws, p. 217. l. 22. r. even ready, p. 255. l. 2. r. specious titles, p. 269. l. 3. r. amazed himself, p. 295. l. 6. r. was seen cleathed, p. 300. l. 1. r. were obliged, p. 301. l. 30. r. by it, p. 307. l. 1. deal to, p. 343. l. 29. deal nevertheless, p. 379. l. 9 r. he employs. With other faults of lesser importance, besides these in the Text, and Marginal Notes.