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SAINTS DUTIE In times of Extremitie.

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Hat the certaintie of the cause of those fears, that are upon the hearts of people,is not yet apparent, but that there are many diftracted fears in their hearts, that is apparent to the full; and therefore, though I prepared for that ordinatie courfe, as formerly; yet for this time, I defire that you would turn to that Scripture (that I might speak a word in season) in

EXODUS 14. part of the 13 Verse.

Stand ftill, and fee the Salvation of the LORD.

He beginning of the Verfe is thus, And Mofes faid unto the peo plc,Fear ye not ftand still, and fee the Salvation of the Lord. In the former Chapter, we have Pharaoh difmiffing Ifrael out of Egypt: In this Chapter we have him pursuing Ifrael with a new-heated furie, against all common fenfe and reafon, his malice and rage befotted him,because God intended to deftroy him; though Gods hand appeared glorioufly for his People before, yet Pharaoh will not fee the Majeftie of the Lord, but he fhall fee it; he gathers all the ftrength that poffibly he can, and feems too rafh in his way, he overtakes, & overtakes them in a place of the greatest advantage that poffibly could be; for the Text faith, that they were before Pi-hahiroth, in the firft verfe, between Migdol and the Sea, over against Baal-zepbon,and that by Gods appointment too: they were there when Pharaoh comes to find them, there the Sea is before them,all the ftrength of Egypt is behind them, and they were at Pi-hahiroth Caverna, rupibus inclufi, fo turned by fome, not the proper fignification, for Pi is the mouth, and babiroth that fignifies foramen; they were got into a hole (as it were) into the mouth of a hole, that was compar fed about with rocks on each fide, that had high rocks about it, fo the word imports and not onely fo, but between Migdol over against Baal-zephon Migdol fignifies a Tower, fo that in that place the Egyptians had a Tower built likewife: befides the advantage of the rocks, and of the hills, there was a

Tower

Tower built for their further strengthening, and there the people of Ifrael
were an unarmed people; yea, not onely by the Tower, but they were over
against Baal-zephon. I remember in the laft exercife, I fhewed you what Baal
was,and what feveral Baals there were that the Heathens worshipped for their
gods, a general name it is, fometimes for any other Idol: This Baal-zephon it
was a god that they worshipped upon this ground, they had an Idol fet in that
place, at the going out of Egypt, that was to watch those that were to go out,
for fo zephon comes of zuri speculatus eft, the god was to watch, was to ftand
and watch any run-away-fervant, or any people that did go out of Egypt with-
out any leave, they trufting in this Baal, that he would stop them, and stay
them, and he was fet in that place for that very purpose; and thereupon his
name was Baal-zephon: As Conjurers by their Magick Arts will have their
fpels, fpirits that fhall ftop men in fuch a place, they shall not go out of fuch an
Orchyard, or fuch a yard where they come in: So the Egyptians had there by
their Magical Arts, they got (as it were) a Spel, a Baal-zephon, a god to stop
people in that place where they would have them stopped: that is the mean-
ing of this name of the Idol Baal-zephon. So that you see what a ftrait Ifrael
was in upon their going out of Egypt, they were got before the Sea, the Egyp
tians had all their ftrength behind,in a hole of rocks, & a Tower,and their god
to stop them altogether, fo that they themselves made fure of them, and faid,
that they were intangled in the Land of the wilderness; Being in those great
ftraits their hearts began to fail them, they began to be extreamly troubled,
and in a moft grievous diftemper of spirit they were coming, and chiding with
Mofes,and faid to Mofes in the II. verf. Because there were no graves in Egypt,
baft thou taken us to die in the wilderness, wherefore haft thou dealt thus with us,
to carrie us forth out of Egypt? We had rather we had continued in Egypt still,
What! Brought to thefe ftraights! these extremities! fuch a perplexity as we
are now in would to God we had been in Egypt: this was the baseness of their
fpirits,they would rather be under vile bondage, than endure any hazard,than
be put to any ftraits and difficulties. It is the balenefs of the fpirits of many at
this day among us, because they see that thofe ways, hat have been taken by
the Parliament brings fome troublefom difficulties, fome ftraits, they crie out
of the times,I would to God we were, as we were before, we were well enough
before, we were quiet enough before, we never knew what fuch ftirs as these
meant before, now we are brought into these perplexities, I, this they have
brought us into; and thus they are ready to murmur and repine. Oh unthank-
full, unworthy generation! men, women of vile fpirits that fhall do fo. It was
a fpeech of Cyrus, fpeaking unto his fouldiers, The Hiftorian hath this expref-
fion of him. It is the part of a true valiant man, either to live honourably, or,
die honourably, one of them; but that is the part of a base coward, rather to
live bafely than to die honourably, rather to be under any bafe fervitude,
than to be in any hazard of their lives, though perhaps their lives may be
faved too. I remember Philo tells us, even of women, (for in these times, the
publick caufe of the Kingdom fuffers exceedingly much by the timorouf-
nefs of the fpirits of women) that being in danger of their enemies of being
brought into bondage by them, they took their children and threw them into

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the Rivers, with these words, You fhall not ferve, we had rather fee you die than be flaves. I commend not that fact, that it was well done, but to fhew what a fpirit the Heathen women had to see their children die,rather than have them bond-flaves:Indeed, what were our lives worth? were they worth having, if we return to our bondage again? The utmost of the danger is,our lives, the killing of our bodies, yet we hope God will preferve them too,but fuppofe the worft,it is but death; but if our lives fhould not be hazarded now,& if through bafe cowardise, we should decline the cause of God, furely our lives would not be worth taking up, the living after that manner we are like to live, in that bondage unto these Cavalliers, notorious wretches, blafphemers of God himfelf,that would make our lives worth very little, nay, your children perhaps to be brought up in Popery, and to hold a candle to a Mafs-Prieft at the Altar; that may be the imployment of your children, if fo be that they should live : But these people being now in this extremity,& manifefting fo much paffion, being in a diftemper; Mofes as the Captain of the Lord comes to the people, & fpeaks bravely to the,encouraging of them,faith Mofes,Fear not,but stand ftill, and fee the falvation of the Lord: stand ftill, the word is 1 state, it fignifies to fettle and compofe, to be in a fetled condition;it is a reflect word upon our felves,fo the Learned know,that it is to work upon our felves, to form,fignifies fo, it is as much as if he should fay, Do you work upon your own hearts, to get your hearts to stand ftill, work upon your hearts to do that, work arguments upon your spirits, and never leave working, untill you have wrought your hearts into fuch a frame, as that you may stand still, and be quiet: At first even the deareft fervants of God will find their hearts to shake in time of hazards and extremities, but when they come to work upon their fpirits, to bring arguments to lay to their hearts, there they get fome advantage, that their hearts grow quiet quickly: For that we have a notable Text in the example of David, in the 62. Pfalm, (faith David there, in the 1 and 2. verses) Truly my foul waiteth upon God, from him cometh my falvation, he only is my Rock and my falvation, he is my defence, 1 fhall not greatly be moved; Mark, he begins to exercise Faith, and he fayes, he fhall not greatly be moved, as if he fhould have faid, I confefs, I cannot say, but that my heart is fomewhat ftirred, I am fomewhat afraid, and I feel fome working in my fpirit, but I hope I fhall not greatly be moved; he falls a working upon his heart more, and confiders of his innocencie; and of the mischievous device of the ungodly; How long will ye imagine mifchief against a man, ye shall be flain all of you then again in the 5. verfe; My foul wait thou onely upon Cod, for my expectation is from him, he onely is my Rock: And then he repeats the words again, after he had been rubbing upon his heart the fame meditation, then he fetches in the words again, that he had in the 2. verfe; He only is my Rock and my Salvation; but mark now, what advantage he gets of himself, in the 6. verfe, He onely is my Rock and my falvation, and my defence, I fhall not be moved; before, he is my Rock, my falvation, my defence, I fhall not greatly be moved, but after he had been working further upon his own heart, then he gains and fayes, now he is my Rock, and my falvation, and my defence, I shall not be moved; I have overcome these distracting fears, I have got the advantage

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vantage and the victory,bleffed be God, I have overcome them,God is my falvation, and my glorie; now he begins to glorie and triumph after he had wrought upon himself; So that he in this did indeed ftand ftill in this phrafe, by working upon his own heart, though he was ftirred a little at firft, yet he got the victorie: So indeed not to be moved, the feventy turn this word,stand ftill ftete onely, but yet the notes upon it, they lay it is read likewife ftetite, that is, a ftanding faft, ft and fast, it is a word, taken from Souldiers in their ranks; Souldiers that are in their ranks when they apprehend a danger, they muft nos go out of their way, because of the danger, it is as much as their lives are worth,to go out of the way,but they must stand, they muft ftand still, though there be never fuch danger, yet they muft ftand still in their ranks : that is the meaning of the word: I fhall open more what the meaning of the holy Ghoft is by and by, what kind of stand still, this fhould be; but thus for the word, it is fuch a ftand ftill, as the Souldiers have in their ranks, not to go out of their ranks for fear. The word is used in Scripture divers times for, ftanding faft, as in the firft of Philippians 27. That you stand faft in one fpirit; now the word faft, is not in the Greek Text, but onely the other word in the Greek Text; and fo you have the fame word in the other Scriptures; in the first of the Corinthians 16. 13. Watch ye, stand faft in the faith, Stetite, it is onely two words in the Greek, as it is in the English, stand faft, fo that this ftand, is not onely a ftanding, but a ftanding faft, ftand fill in your ranks, faft, be not in a hurry up and down, and be not in a confufion: If upon danger Souldiers fhould prefently be in a confufion in the Army, what would become of them? and fo the truth is, in a Citie, in any place, where there is any danger, if people grow to a confufion, they are gone, they are loft, you must stand still in your ranks, ftand ftill. There are feveral ftand ftils, fome very vile and naught, and other very good: there is firft,

1. A ftand still out of amazement, When a man through fear is at a stand, and dares not ftir any further; now this cannot be meant in the Text; for Mofes faith, Fear not, but fstand Still, therefore it is not a standing still out of fear, because I am aftonished.

2. There is a ftand full, out of ignorance; Because I do not know which way to take; and this is not in the Text neither: Thus many in our time, they ftand ftill, they plead ignorance; they ftand ftill, they will be of no fide, and they plead ignorance,they know not what to do,they fay, they know not what to do, one faith one thing, and another faith another thing, the King.commands one thing, and the Parliament another, they know not what to do; to go against the King, is it not rebellion? and fo they ftand ftill because they plead ignorance, and their confciences are not informed. It hath been the work of divers Minifters, that have hazarded themselves in this,to open to you the Counsel of God, and to fet your confciences at liberty; divers things I have spoken in this place, but certainly men do blind their own eyes,and are willing to ftand ftill, to plead ignorance, after fo much light revealed: It is ftrange that any rational man fhould fpeak of rebellion now; when as we koow, that the King himself fent aid to the Rochellers, and that (we know) in the cafe of their liberties, and religion, they took up Arms to defend them.