A Complete and Compendious Church History, Chapter 4

A Complete and Compendious Church History · Chapter 4

p. 32The Fourth Plot againſt the Church, in AEGYPT: Defeated by GOD.

CHAP. IIII.

NO ſooner was the Church (in Noah) ſafely Landed, and God had Smelt a ſweet Savour (inſtead of the ſtench of the Old World) from Noah's Sacrifice, Gen. 8. 11. but Satan hath a 4th. Plot to Promote and Purſue: God will not War with a Weaponleſs Devil, but out of his Unſearchable Wiſdom ever allows him Suitable Inſtruments to work withal in the World for the Glory of his own Grace: The Enmity betwixt the Two Seeds never dyes (as before) ſo long as the World Lives, and Cain will be Murdering Abel (by Propagation) to the end of the World: Yea, and the Older he grows, the more Savage and Bloody will he be; The laſt Bite of the Beaſt will be the moſt deadly Bite.

As the Serpent had crept into Paradiſe to Plot againſt our firſt Parents, the Firſt Foundation of the Church, ſo Satan creeps into the Ark to Plot againſt the Superſtructure thereof: p. 33He wants not his (Cham) even in the Ark, (a Type of the Church) a fit Inſtrument for him to Work with. 'Tis thought this Cham had concealed his wickedneſs from Men, (which he could not from God,) and ſoon after Degenerated: However this bad Son had a Temporal Favour for the ſake of his good Father, which he badly Requited afterwards: This Curſed Cham or Ham the Devil makes Uſe of. 1ſt. In his Perſon. 2dly. In his Poſterity againſt the Church of God. 1ſt. In his Perſon: The Occaſion was this. As Satan had made Adam Tranſgreſs in Eating; ſo he made Noah to Tranſgreſs in Drinking, Gen. 9. 21. He that had Eſcaped the Drowning of the World by Water, (becauſe Juſt and Ʋpright) was now (perhaps not knowing the ſtrength of the Grape) himſelf Drown'd in Wine, and was Shamefully Ʋncovered. Though this Act was but once, (he was Ebrius, not Ebrioſus, Drunk, not a Drunkard, Denominatio non ſit a particulari,) yet this wicked Cham ſaw it both with Delight to himſelf, and with Deriſion to his Father: and therefore Noah (for whoſe ſake he had been Saved in the Ark) did Doom him accurſed, and his other Two Sons he Bleſſed. 2dly. In his Poſterity. The Aegyptians (from whom the Church ſuffered hard things in their Houſe of Bondage) are frequently call'd the Children of Ham, and Aegypt the Land of Ham, Pſal. 78. 51. p. 34and 105. 23, 27. and 106. 22. 'Tis True, there be ſome Hundreds of Years betwixt thoſe Two Actions (of Hams Perſon, and of his Poſterity) againſt the Church, which ſome may judge over-large a Leap, as if the Devil had been Idle all that Interſpace of Time: No doubt but it may be ſafely ſaid, There is ſome time wherein God Chains up the Devil, as Rev. 20. 2. And wherein the Church hath her lucid Intervals, as Act. 9. 31. Yea, and this may be ſaid alſo, That all thoſe Games the Devil play'd, and all the Plots he Plotted betwixt theſe Two, were the lower Games, the leſſer Plots of a Daring Devil: compared with this of the Church, and (of Iſraels) being in Aegypts Bondage. No doubt, but the Devil was gratifi'd in the Building of the Tower of Babel, whereby the Holy Tongue was loſt to all the World, (ſave to One Family) and ſo the Doctrine of Salvation, which was Preached in that Tongue onelyonly. This began Satans Kingdom in Heatheniſm through the Confuſion of Tongues at Babel, which was Bleſſedly Recover'd by the Gift of Tongues at Sion, Act. 2. 4. 13. The Devil was alſo well-pleaſed to have Lots Righteous Soul vexed with the Wicked Sodomites, To have Iſaac (that Heir of the Promiſe) Scoffed at by Iſhmael, Yea, Perſecuted alſo by him, Gal. 4. 29. To have likewiſe Prophane Eſau ſo Bloodily bent againſt plain Jacob; To have Godly Joſeph Abuſed both by p. 35his own Brethren, and by his Wanton Miſtris, Pſal. 105. 18. Oh how would Satan have Rejoyced to ſee Lot and his Family Burn'd in Sodom, Iſaac Sacrific'd by his own Father Abraham, Jacob Murdered by his own Brother Eſau, (as Abel had been by Cain at his Inſtigation,) Yea, and Joſeph Periſhed in the Pit (his) Brethren caſt him into: or in the Priſon where his wicked Miſtris Lodged him. Yet God baffled the Devil (who will Play at ſmall Games rather than ſit Idle) in all theſe Plots. But now when the 70 Souls (that went down into Aegypt, that Land of Ham) were Increaſed to a great People, ſo as to fill the Countrey of Goſhen, Exod. 1. 7. this Enraged him, ſo that he puts out his utmoſt Power and Policy to Suppreſs them. In the firſt Age before the Flood, the Church of God was Shut up ſome time in One Perſon, as in Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, &c. And though Adam Falls, Abel is Slain, Seth Dyes, and Enoch is Tranſlated, &c. Yea, and the Devil doth his worſt to Extirpate it out of the World, (as above;) yet the Great God hath ſo Secur'd his Church, (both by) Promiſe and Providence, that his Mount Sion can never be Removed: Inſomuch that in the 2d. Age after the Flood, the Devil Loſes, and the Church Wins Ground, and Spreads her ſelf from the Narrow Compaſs of Perſons, to Families, as in Noahs, Abrahams, Lots, and the Patriarchs Families: and yet more, when the Time of the p. 36Promiſe drew nigh, Act. 7. 17. Through the Special Bleſſing of God, the Church Spreads forth her Tents, (as ſhe is bidden) Iſa. 54. 2, 3.) from the Narrow Compaſs of Families, and became a Nation Great Mighty and Populous, Deut. 26. 5. and all this, out of One, as Good as Dead, Hebr. 11. 12. Satan meddles not with his Match, when he Meddles with God, who of very Stones can Raiſe up Children unto Abraham, Matth. 3. 9. To behold the Church Increaſe as Stars in the Heaven, and as Sands on the Sea-ſhore, This makes the Devil more mad then ever; So he falls upon his 4th. grand Plot, to Cutt her ſhort by the Children of Ham the Father of Mitzraim, (which is the Hebrew Word for Aegypt) Gen. 10. 6.

The 1ſt. part of his Plot, was to make God their Enemy by their Sinning fowly againſt him. In Order hereunto, he Tempts them to Commit Idolatry, (a God-provoking Sin,) Joſh. 24. 14. Ezek. 20. 8. and 23. 3, 8.

(2.) To forego Circumciſion, (the Covenant of their God) which was the Reproach of Aegypt. Joſh. 5. 9.

3. To joyn in Marriage with the Egyptians, Levit. 24. 20. and Exod. 12. 38. Hereby the Sun (of Religion) goes down upon them, as God told Abraham, Gen. 15. 12. Then God was Angry, and he Turn'd the Hearts of the Children of Ham to hate his own (God-provoking) People, Pſal. 105. 25. as after the Death of p. 37Methuſalem. (which in Hebrew ſignifies, He Dyeth, and the Dart commeth.) The Deluge came; ſo after the death of the Godly Patriarks their Bondage began; They were caſt into a Furnace of Iron, Deut. 4. 20. to ſee them there muſt needs be the Devils Delight, whoſe Deſign Undoubtedly was to Burn up the Church as Droſs therein; but Gods Deſign (which is always to countermine his Mines, and to counterplot his Plots) was, when he had Tryed them, to bring them out as Gold, Job 23. 10. as he did his Servant Job from Satans Furnace of Affliction. The 2d. part of his Plot, was, To ſtir up a new King that knew not Joſeph, Exod. 1. 8. Well knowing, that ſuch Kings as know not Joſeph or Jeſus (our Brother) are his ſitteſt Tools for Oppreſſing the Church: This King (the 8th. from Ham, and Suppoſed to be Buſiris, a Savage Tyrant in Heathen Hiſtory) was the firſt that Oppreſſed Iſrael, whom his Predeceſſors had Entertained as Gueſts, and Enjoyed as Friends and Benefactors: He (I ſay) deals both Craftily and Cruelly with them, and (both) to Prevent their further Increaſe, (which he ſaw, v. 7.) Exod. 1. 10, 11. Ach. 7. 19. Pſa. 105. 25. and all this was to prove God a Lyar in his Promiſe to Jacob, Gen. 46. 3. 4. Yet his foreign Sept. & foreign Gre. Dealing Subtilly, his Setting Severe Task-Maſters over them, as making them to make Brick, Yea, ſuch a Tale and no Straw given: p. 38All this would not do, for God Catches this Fox in his own Net of Craft and Cruelty, 1 Cor. 3, 19. and the more the Church was Moleſted, the more they Multiplyed. 'Tis true, This Rigour and Fierceneſs (from Pherec the Hebr. Word) in Impoſing Intollerable hard Labour upon them, was a probable Plot (in the Ordinary Courſe of Nature) to Prohibit Procreation of Children; yet this King was, as every Oppreſſor is, a Fool, Prov. 28. 16. For, beſides 'tis uſually ſeen, That Labouring Men have the moſt and the Luſtieſt Children. Here was an Extraordinary Path of Providence to over-rule this Project: which David Celebrates, [God Increaſed his People greatly, and made them ſtronger than their Enemies,] Pſa. 105.24. This Camomile, the more it is troden, the faſter it groweth: This Walnut-Tree, the more it is beaten, the more it bears. This Grieved their Grievers, Exod. 1. 12. So the Egyptians grieving at Iſraels Growth, it became both their Crime and their Curſe: When this Deſign was Defeated, this Dragon (lying in the midſt of the Waters, Ezek. 29. 3.) falls upon his 2d. Plot, to Deſtroy all the Males of Iſrael as ſoon as Born, not unlike the great Red Dragon who ſtood ready to Devour the Man-Child as ſoon as the Woman (the Church) had brought it forth, Rev. 12. 3. 4. This Pharaoh Treads in that Fiends ſteps, and Commands the Mid-Wives to Strangle (with a privy-Pinch) All the Born p. 39Males: Hoping that the Lyons (or Dragons) Skin might Patch up the Fox that had fail'd in worrying up Iſruel: But God Baffll'd this Plot too, for Shiphrah and Puah (the 2 Principal Mid-Wives) Feared God, and durſt not Obey the Kings Inhumane and Unnatural Command, v. 17. That which is Inferior and Subordinate, may not Controul and Contradict that which is Superior. Thus Peter Explains his two Sociable Duties, [Fear God, Honour the King, 1 Pet. 2. 17. Compar'd with Act. 5. 29. and 4. 19. Here the Mid-Wives ſtick, (they cannot do the Devils Drudgery,) and here the Plot ſticks. Pharaoh Frowns upon them for this, but God Smiles on them, and Bleſſes them, v. 18. 19, 20, 21. They would not pull down Gods Houſe, (his Church) and God Builds up theirs. Pharaoh (thus diſappointed) falls on …is 4th. Plot, in Publiſhing a Bloody Edict to all his People (among whom ſome Savage Slaughter-Men he might probably not miſs, and poſſibly not without a Penalty to Neglecters,) To Drown thoſe Males openly which the Mid-Wives would not Strangle Privately, v. 22. Notwithſtanding this Edict, and the ſtrict Execution of it, Exod. 2. 3. Moſes is Preſerved by Pharaohs Daughter, who becomes the Ruine of Pharaohs Kingdom: Thus no Counſel, nor Might, nor Wiſdom [neither Craft nor Cruelty] can prevail againſt the Lord, Prov. 21.30. This (Miraculouſly Preſerved) Moſes brings p. 4010 Plagues on Egypt; The 1st. whereof was, The Waters wherein the Childrens Blood had been ſhed, were turned into Blood. And in the laſt were Slain all Egypts firſt-Born, for their ſlaying Iſrael, Gods firſt-Born, Exod. 4, 22. Then did Iſrael go out of the Furnace, being loaded with Spoils, and Egypt was glad that they were gone, though gone with their Jewels, Pſal. 105. 36, 37, 38. Exod. 12. 33, 35, 36. Hath the Devil now done, and his Inſtrument Pharaoh? Oh no! he hath yet another (his 5th. and laſt Plot,) which endeth (as all other Plots againſt the Church do) in his own Deſtruction.

Iſrael Marches 3 Days directly to Horeb, (as they had Requeſted, Exod. 3. 18. and 5.3.) then turning towards the Red-Sea, Pharaoh's Spys gave Intelligence, That they were Run away, and would not Return, and that they were Intangl'd in the Mountains, Exod. 14. 3. This hardens his Heart, (at which Gods Mighty Hammer had given 10 Mighty Stroaks in the 10 Plagues, yet could find no Entrance) and Reſolves to purſue them; Yea, and his People alſo, (who Repented of their Well-doing, but not of their Ill) ſaying, Why have we let them go, v. 5. all purſues, and overtakes to Recover their Jewels, and to bring them back to Bondage, thinking they had caught them in a Pound, they had no way to eſcape, unleſs they could Climb up to Heaven, which becauſe they could not do, Heaven comes down to them, p. 41Divides the Sea, Iſrael walks 'twixt Two Mountains of Waters, which made a fair Lane for them, Exod. 14. 22. Pſal. 105. 8. 9. Iſai. 63. 12, 14. The Aegyptians follow them into the Sea, the Angel of Gods Preſence (who had led them thither) remov'd from the Van to the Rear, to be betwixt them and their Enemies, they who had drowned Iſraels firſt-Born were all drown'd; but Iſrael (the Church) paſſes over dry-ſhod, and when ſafely Landed, Sang that Song of Praiſe to the God of Iſrael, Exod. 15. Pſal. 77. 18. and 18. 11.) for this great Deliverance.