WHAT the certainty of the cause of those fears that are upon the hearts of people is not yet apparant, but that there are many distracted fears in their hearts, that is apparant to the full; and therefore though I prepared for that ordinary course as formerly, yet for this time I desire that you would turn to that Scripture (that I might speak a word in season) in
EXODUS, 14. part of the 13. vers.
Stand still, and see the Salvation of the Lord.
THE begining of the verse is thus, And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. In the former Chapter we have Pharaoh dismissing Israel out of Egypt: In this Chapter we have him pursuing Israel with a newheated fury, against all common sense and reason, his malice and rage besotted him, because God intented to destroy him: though Gods hand appeared gloriously for his People before, yet Pharaoh will not see the Majestie of the Lord, but he shall see it; he gathers all the strength that possibly he can, and seems too rash in his way, he overtakes, and overtakes them in a place of the greatest advantage that possibly could be; for the Text saith, that they were before Pi-hahiroth, in the first verse, between Migdol and the Sea, over against Baal-zephon, and that by Gods appointment too; they were there when Pharaoh comes to find them, there the Sea is before them, all the strength of Egypt is behind them, and they were at Pi-hahiroth: Carverna rupibus inclusa, so turn’d by some, not the proper signification, for Pi is the mouth, and hahiroth that signifies f[…]ramen; they were got into a hole, (as it were) into the mouth of a hole, that was compassed about with rocks one each side, that had high rocks about it, so the word imports: and not only so, but between Migdol over against Baal zephon, Migdol signifies a tower; so that in that place the Egyptians had a tower built likewise: besides the advantage of the rocks and of the hills, there was a tower built for their further strengthening, and there the people of Israel were, an unarmed people; yea, not only by the tower, but they were over against Baal-zephon. I remember in the last Exercise, I shewed you what Baal was, and what several Baals there were that the Heathens worshiped for their gods, a general name it is, sometimes for any other Idol: This Baal-zephon it was a god that they worshiped upon this ground, they had an Idol set in that place, at the going out of Egypt, that was to watch those that were to go out, for so zephon comes of zuri speculatus est, the god was to watch, was to stand and watch any run-away-servant, or any people that did go out of Egypt without any leave, they trusting in this Baal, that he would stop them, and stay them, and he was set in that place for that very purpose; and thereupon his name was Baal-zephon: As Conjurers by their magick arts will have their spels, spirits that shall stop men in such a place, they shall not go out of such an orchyard, or such 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 meaning of this name of the Idol Baal-zephon. So that you see what a strait Israel was in upon their going out of Egypt, they were got before the Sea, the Egyptians had all their strength behind, in a hole of rocks, and a tower, and their god to stop them altogether, so that they themselves made sure of them, and said that they were intangled in the land of the wildernesse; Being in those great straits their hearts began to fail them, they began to be extreamly troubled, and in a most greivous distemper of spirit they were coming, and chiding with Moses, and said to Moses in the 11. vers. Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us to die in the wilderness, wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? We had rather we had continued in Egypt still, What! Brought to these straits! these extremities! such a perplexity as we are now in? would to God we had bin in Egypt: this was the baseness of their spirits, they would rather be under vile bondage, than endure any hazard, then be put to any straits and difficulties: It is the baseness of the spirits of many at this day amongst us, because they see that those waies that have bin taken by the Parliament brings some troublesom difficulties, some straits, they cry 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 such stirs as these meant before, now we are brought into these perplexities, I, this they have brought us into; & thus they are ready to murmur & repine. Oh unthankful unworthy generation! men, women of vile spirits that shall do so. It was a speech of Cyrus, speaking unto his souldiers, The Historian hath this expression 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 basely than to die honourably, rather to be under any base servitude, than to be in any hazard of their lives, though perhaps their lives may be saved too. I remember Philo tels us, even of women, (for in these times, the publik cause of the Kingdom, suffers exceedingly much by the timorousness of the spirits of women) that being in danger of their enemies, of being brought into bondage by them, they took their children and threw them into the rivers, with these words, You shall not serve, we had rather see you die than be slaves. I commend not that fact that it was wel done, but to shew what a spirit the heathen women had to see their children die rather than have them bondslaves: 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 preserve them too, but suppose the worst, it is but death; but if our lives should not be hazarded now, and if through base cowardice, we should decline the Cause of God, surely 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, blasphemers of God himself, 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 masse-Priest at the Altar; that may be the imployment of your children, if so be that they should live: But these people being now in this extremity, and manifesting so much passion, being in a distemper; Moses as the Captain of the Lord comes to the people, and speaks bravely to them, incouraging of them, saith Moses, Fear not, but stand stil, and see the salvation of the Lord: stand still, the word is […] state, it signifies to settle and compose, to be in a setled condition; it is a reflect word upon our selves, so the Learned know, that it is to work upon our selves, to form, signifies so, it is as much as if he should say, Do you work upon your own hearts, to get your hearts to stand still, work upon your hearts to do that, work arguments upon your spirits, and never leave working until you have wrought your hearts into such a frame, as that you may stand stil, & be quiet: At first even the dearest servants of God wil find their hearts to shake in time of hazards and extremities, but when they come to work upon their spirits, to bring arguments to lay to their hearts, there they get some advantage, that their hearts grow quiet quickly: For that we have a notable text in the example of David, in the 62. Psalme, (saith David there, in the 1, and 2. verses) Truly my Soul waiteth upon God, from him cometh my salvation, hee onely is my Rock and my Salvation, he is my defence, I shall not greatly be moved; Mark, he begins to exercise Faith, and he saies, he shall not greatly be moved, as if he should have said, I confesse, I cannot say, but that my heart is somewhat stirred, I am somewhat afraid, and I feel some working in my spirit, but I hope I shall not greatly be moved; he fals a working upon his heart more, and considers of his innocencie; and of the mischievous device of the ungodly; how long will ye imagine mischiefe against a man, ye shall be slain all of you; then again in the 5. verse; My soul waite thou onely upon God, for my expectation is from him, he only is my Rock: And then he repeats the words again, after he had been rubbing upon his heart the same meditation, then he fetches in the words again, that he had in the 2. verse; He only is my Rock and my salvation; but mark now, what advantage he gets of himself, in the 6. verse, He only is my Rock and my salvation, and my defence, I shall not be moved; before, he is my Rock, my salvation, my defence, I shall not greatly be moved, but after he had been working further upon his own heart, then he gains and saies, now he is my Rock, and my salvation, and my defence, I shall not be moved; I have overcome these distracting fears, I have got the advantage and the victory, blessed be God I have overcome them, God is my salvation, and my glory; now he begins to glory and triumph after he had wrought upon himself; So that he in this did indeed stand still in this phrase, by working upon his own heart, though he was stirred a little at first, yet he got the victory: So indeed not to be moved, the 70. turn this word, stand still stete only, but yet the notes upon it, they say it is read likewise stetite, that is, a standing fast, stand fast, it is a word, taken from souldiers in their ranks; souldiers that are in their ranks when they apprehend a danger, they must not 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 must stand stille, though there be never such danger, yet they must stand still in their ranks: that is the meaning of the word: I shall open more what the meaning of the holy Ghost is by and by, what kind of stand still, this should be; but thus for the word, it is such a stand still, 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, standing fast, as in the 1 of Philiphians, 27. That you stand fast in one spirit; now the word fast, is not in the Greek Text, but only the other word in the Greek Text; and so you have the same word in the other Scriptures; in the 1. of the Corinthians, 16.13. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, Stetite, it is only two words in the Greek, as it is in the English, stand fast; so that this stand, it is not only a standing, but a standing fast, stand still in your ranks, fast, be not in a hurry up and down, and be not in a confusion: If upon danger souldiers should presently be in a confusion in the Army, what would become of them? and so the truth is, in a City, in any place, where there is any danger, if people grow to a confusion, they are gone, they are lost, you must stand still in your ranks, stand still; There are several stand-stils, some very vile and naught, and others very good: there is first,