Meditations on the History in Exodus
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Some Meditations on the History recorded in the first fourteen Chapters of Exodus, in Meeter.
Their great
Encrease
made the
Egyptians
fear.
Two causes of it are assigned; the one,
Stay now, let's think: And was there Cause indeed
To have
such
thoughts of honest
Jacob's seed?
Where their
fore Fathers
more then once were fed
In their distress? No, no, this could not be,
They had more holy ingenuity.
Or would they leave their
Native
Country? leave
A fruitful
Goshen;
and themselves bereave
Of house and home, and knew not where to go?
No, never think it; They'd more wit then so.
But yet there's somewhat init; perhaps 't may be
Pharo'h
was
conscious
to himself that he,
Had wronged them in there liberties; and craves
To keep them still, as profitable
Slaves;
Had stinted their
Religion;
(for that Nation
Perhaps
their
thoughts
his
thoughts thus represent:
Why shall
we Pharo'bs
happiness resent?
Why shall
we
fight? what matters it, since we
Must still be
Asses, who
the loaders be?
What? is our
public worship
nothing worth?
God's
Heav'nly
Ordinances? Come; let's forth
Into the wilderness; 'tis better
there
With God, then with these black
Egyptians here
He got him all, who now takes all from us:
Had
Zaphnath paaneah
this fore-known;
He'ad never so strengthened
him,
to spoil his
own
Conscience thus works, thus speaks, what no man dares
That's no
Courtflatterer;
that no man spares.
Lest
they
the Landlords, and
we
Tenants be:
Mortar and bricks lay on, lay on, with vigor.
Their bitter lives shall sweeten mine, their charge
But 't was a policy, which God never
blest;
The more they
grew,
the more they were
oppressed.
Yet he'l not leave it so; he'l next assail
A private Plot, when public force does fail.
Preserve the
Girls;
there's ruin without
Noyse.
The
Females
may be saved to serve our
lust;
The
Males
destroy, for them we dare not
trust:
This
age
let's well
keep under,
and their
breed,
This will prevent, that none shall them
succeed.
Come, this will do our business.—Ney pray stay;
God's
promise
sure will lay a rub ith' way:
Must live to see the Land of
Canaan
theirs.
The Midwives fearing
God
more then the
King)
A fly excuse; Thereby his craft befool:
Oh! 'tis not
every
one will make a
Tool.
Dirty employment's
only fit for those
That
Dirty fellows
are; Carrion for Crows.
Then raised by reward's of iniquity.
But, since
these
will uot doit; he next will try,
Who'le give a
cruel pledge
of loyalty?
But
Blood-Hounds
might be found among the
rout:
His
Loyal Israelites,
to work his ends,
Yet had an
Edomite
(fit for the job)
That slew
God's Priests,
and overthrew
their NOB.
Expos'd;
made
Pharaoh's Grandson
by a wile.
God counter-plots the plotter; makes
him
keep
Let none as
born
in a
bad time,
repine,
Whom
God
may for some
special
work design;
It matters not what
Age,
or in what
Nation;
Moses
is grown a
Man;
goes forth to see
His poor
oppressed Brethren's
misery.
A sierce
Egyptian;
Chides two
Israelites
That were a
wrangling,
but had such reply,
As made him first to
fear,
and then to fly.
Thus oft, who
others,
would make
friends
gets
foes;
And he, that will
part fighters,
meets with
blows.
Has
Gershom
by her, and
long
there he tarries,
Till he was quite
forgot,
and
Pharaoh
dead,
Till God
his covenant
remembered.
Let none think,
God forgets
us, or
neglects;
Let none think God's
time long,
for he best knows,
When
we
are fit for
mercies, they
for
woes.
To feed
God's
flock, and them to guide, and keep.
As after, some
Apostles
from their trade,
Alas! it is too high for him, he thinks.
Though in the
Burning-Bush
God had declared
Yet could he not discern how it should be
Effected by so
mean
a
Man
as he.
Why not? (says God) I will
lead
thee by the hand.
And will the
Israelites
believe
poor me?
Yea that they shall (says God) by what they 'I
see.
Strengthens
his
faith, that
he
might strengthen theirs
See here, and
imitate
a humble soul:
See here a
faith,
that does a
fear
control.
Yet
fear Repullulates,
he'd fain be free:
Bold cowardice,
that
dares
God's precept break;
Yet fears before a
mortal Man
to speak:
Blind Sensuality,
that counteth even
A
Glittering Glowworm
to the light of
Heaven.
Because (forsooth) he was not
Eloquent:
Whereas
Court-Preechors
must be
Glib
and
free,
Smooth-tongu'd,
as I am not (O send not me)
God condescends to weakness, and allow'th
And
now
are answered all his little
pleas
And
now
he must away without
delays.
Delaies are dangerous,
but yet take heed,
We mind our
hast
no more then our
good speed:
And Son
uncircumcis'd;
whereby his life
To Israel
a
comforter
would be
By
Covenant,
and yet neglects the
Seal:
Wilt
thou
(says God) my holy will reveal?
Declare my name to
others,
that
they
fear it,
And thou thy
self
forget me? I will not bear it.
Reformers
must
Reformed
be: Who
Preaches,
Must first
believe
and
practice
what he
teaches.
Draws
blood
from
Gershom, tears
from
Zipporahs
eyes.
Carnal
relations
often hinder
good.
But it is better
friends
then
God
t' offend;
Make
friends
our
enemies,
keep
God
our
friend.
(Sent forth by God) and brotherly he greets him;
Congregate Israel,
and to them show
Israel
believes,
worships,
and bows the head.
Approaching mercies,
when they do appear,
Should be received with
reverence,
and
fear.
Next they address, and do this
message
bring;
The
God
of
Jacob
saith,
Let Israel go,
And
worship me;
the
Lord
will have it so.
Nor any
Suit,
or
Service
that I
owe
him;
Hath us
commanded;
Let us
go
we
pray.
A three-days Journey in the
desert, there
To
Sacrisice,
for
otherwise
we fear
He'l angry be; if
we
neglect his word,
He'l fall on us with
Psstilence
and
Sword.
Here's
God's command,
and
Israel's request,
Whereby in humble manner he is pressed:
Israel's
in danger, if
they
do not do it;
If
Pharo'h lets
them, then let
him
look to it.
If
they
a Sword, and Pestilence do fear,
Then what may
He,
that is their hinderer.
But he's resolved. Go; get you gone (says he)
Do hinder business; you that are but
two
Then doth he call the
Taskers;
makes this
Law;
For they are
Idle; hence
arise their cries,
Let us go
worship God,
go
sacrifice.
Wretched
uncharitableness
is thine,
That thinkest
all Religion
but
design.
Not to please
God,
only our
selves
to please:
Not
inward comfort,
but for
outward ease.
Their
vain religious canting
never regard.
And
first
they fly to
Pharo'h
for relief:
Oh! Why are we thus hardly dealt withal?
Thy
people are in fault, and
we
are beaten:
Sends them away with
scorn:
Go
Idlers,
go,
(Youl'd serve the
Lord?
Serve
Mee:)
I will have it so.
Hear how the
Harpy
harps upon that word;
You'r
Idle;
you would go and
serve
the
Lord?
A
Pharaoh's
better
farther
off then nigh one;
Sheep
little get, by coming near the
Lyon:
They met, but being grieviously perplexed,
Had it not been for
you,
't had not been
so.
You
made's
believe
and put
trust
in the
Lord,
And this hath put in
Pharo'hs
hand a
sword.
Till you persuaded us to
worship God.
To
Israel,
their
sorrows
to augment?
See
their
distresses; I
do
Sympathise:
Do
feel
their
loads. Moses
again is sent
But
Israel,
that under griefs doth languish,
Cannot hear God nor
Moses
for their anguish.
O men of
little faith
that cannot
see
For
tears,
th'
Almighty's
Al-sufficiency!
O! men of
feeble spirits,
that for
one
Rough passage,
doubt of their
redemption!
O
little love
you show, that will depart
From your
Religion,
for a little
smart!
But now (alas)
his
faith is wavering;
My message,
Pharo'h
will
much less
I fear.)
And therefore in they go (though very loath.)
Thus
Stars
of
greatest magnitude
(we see)
With
fogs
and clouds sometimes
obscured
be.
Thus
strongest pillars
of the
Church,
with weight
Will
bow
a little, till
God
set them
right.
When into
Pharohs presence
they were come.
He frowning says, what will these
troublesome
And
ill bred
fellows have? they know our will:
They have our
answer:
Will you never be still?
Where's your
commission?
makit appear that you
Are sent of God, and that your God is true.
Shew us some tricks our
High Priests
can do this
By power from
our
God's
Isis, Osiris,
That
shreds divinity
to make their
Pottage:)
Then
Aaron
cast upon the ground his
rod;
'It is changed into a
Serpent
by his God.
Perform the like: But soon are made a prey,
Thus
solid Reason
swallows sophistry.
I care not, while it doth not
bite,
but
hiss.
Thus some men
Comets
to a jest do turn,
Because they only
blaze,
and do not
burn;
Although (perhaps) sometimes they do
foreshow
Burning
of
Cities,
and of
Navies
too.
They shall not go; no? Sure it were as good,
Blood in the rivers, choking all the fishes;
Blood in your ponds, stone pots, and wooden dishes;
Blood that shall putrefy the air, and stink;
Blood in the waters, you shall loath to drink.
Is obstinate;
Pharo'h
is
Pharo'h still.
This is the
first
plague, and indeed 'tis great,
(Though greater follow) 'tis about their
meat:
Though some are of opinion, and will tell ye
Fish is no meat,
for you may fill your belly
Therewith, and yet keep
fasting days.
But I
(Saving their reverence) think it
drollery.
Water, and Land (a frog's
Amphibion)
Some are cold crawlers in their naked bed.
Some in his Presence-Chamber skip and dance.
'It is true his Priests had tried what they could do,
And (through permission) frogs they
brought up
too:
But can they
drive
them
down?
Now let them prove it
They can
bring
mischief but they cannot
remove
it.
Thus when, with
Moses,
they dare enter lists,
Th' appear
Enchanters
but no
Exorcists.
Moses
must be entreated now to pray,
This loathsome judgment may be ta'ne away.
Wretches may
need,
and
beg
the
prayers
of those
Sometimes,
whom
otherwhile
they most
oppose.
And in
design
would their
religion
use,
Whose
Persons
and
Religion
they abuse.
Now that, in this, his
turn
might
served
be,
It is the
word
of a
King,
set thoughts at rest,
It shall be done: There's
honor
in this
breast.
Goodness
and
greatness,
did they always meet,
Then
peace
and
righteousness
would always greet;
In their degree (in th
Abstarct)
are a lie.
They die on Land and only live in bogs.
Th'
Egyptian respited,
the
Gypsie
played;
Retracts his word, denies what he had said.
A complicated sin; he
breaks
his
word,
Not only with the
men,
but with the
Lord.
The
matter
of his Cov'nant was
sublime,
Encreases guilt, and aggravates the
crime.
God is offended greatly, and now must
Beggars
and
Cheats
they were before, and now
Then try the Artists (Chaplains of the
House
And all there Art cannot
feign
a
little Louse.
Their store is spent,
Jannes
and
Jambres
fall;
Those
two Arch-flamins
of his kingdom, those
That
Pharo'h hardu'd, Moses
did
oppose;
That thus afflicted had th'
Egyptian
land.
Though sinners long persist, and will not
see.
Heaven will at last, by
Hell,
acknowledged be.
More judgments must come on, and he must bear'm.
Then grievous swarms of
flies
possess the air
As if
Belzebub
had
dominion
there.
Goshen
is free.—Herein his power he shows
To
save
his people when he
plagues
his foes.
Men make
distinctions
with
mischievous
heart:
God
seals
for safety, keeps them still apart.
Moses,
O
Moses
help me
(Pharo'h
cries)
Only let it be
in the Land,
I pray,
To going out,
reason of state
says nay.
He would compound a
Gallimauphery;
Part
God's command, and
part state policy.
Methinks I hear him say; What does possess
Your minds to worship in a wilderness.
'Twere more august here: Loe (for your contents)
We'l
Temples
lend
Utinsels, Ornaments.
You may your
own
God keep and
conscience
too
Though
amongst us, like us
you seem to do.
Let it be wilderness, but
near our fields;
For if
from us
you do
depart too far,
We shall suspect, you do
intend
a
War.
But deal not
anymore deceitfully.
And reason good he
now
should be
suspected
That
former
obligations had
rejected.
What shall we say to him that knows no shame?
But let it be
only Egyptians.
He that would
Israel's
have at his dispose
Keeps not his
own, all covet and all lose.
For
botch and blayne;
I will whip with
soarer
lashes;
To cure themselves.
Pharo'h is hardened still.
And still shall plagued be;
even on his
heart:
An
inward searings
worse then outward smart.
To show God's
Justice
and his
Power
upon.
If all
Egyptians
are as bad as he:
No; Some believe and fear; follow direction,
And for their goods and servants get protection.
Extreams of
heat
and
cold
made hearts to fail;
The
Fire ran on the ground;
as sad September
Taught us to
know;
will teach us to
remember.
The
fire dispersed
itself over the land,
As if
continued
by a
secret hand.
Shall we hear more of
Pharaoh?
Yes: His cry
He's now grown
penitent
(at least in
show)
Oh I
have sinned
(he speaks it
falsely true)
I and
mine
wicked are,
your
God is just:
Dreadful experiments
do prove him stronger;
I will let you go, and ye shall
stay no longer.
Can any
now
make any doubt but he
To all his
promises
will faithful be?
A gentle
mildeness
does the man discover
(As
Snakes
in
Winter
till the Storms be over)
Though charity cannot but judge him right,
Yet is he
false
in the
All-seers
sight.
Well, well, (says
Moses)
let it be; I know
The
Hail
is gone: What say you? Shall we go:
And
serve our God?
Answer directly:
No.
My
promises
were made in fear, I am told
By all my
Casuists,
such do not
hold.
Such multitudes, the earth shall not be seen.
This said, the
Prophets
leave him: But the threat
So srights the
Egyptians,
that
they
him entreat
To lay to heart,
Egypt
is plagued so,
Only for
Israel's sake;
O let them go!
It is strange that Intercessors for them be
Instruments of his
rage, their misery.
What is the
Number
of them that would go?
Men, Women, Children, Cattle, great and small.
They are my
Wards:
Go; leave your little
ones.
Unreasonable men; I see it well,
If I
concede
an
inch,
you will
crave
an
ell.
You only asked for
men
alone; 'twas given;
The
promise
(sure) had
choked
the man, without
Distinction and a lie,
had helped him out.
He'l have them in a
rope;
'T was his intent
To
draw
them
back
in time convenient.
He never me'nt to let them
quite
go
free,
But had an eye unto
posterity.
Devouer every green upon the land.
God can make use of
Frogs, Lice, Locusts, Eli’s,
Thus to subdue his
proudest Enemies.
Insects
commanded by the
Lord
of
hosts
Are
Concquering-Armies
over him that
boasts.
O I have
Sin'd
against your
God,
and
you.
That now he would
this only
death remove.
Here's a
confession larger
then before,
And pardon asked:
Sure
now
he'l sin no more.
You'd think so; but no good fruit can he bring;
Judicial hardness is a dreadful thing.
The King's no Changeling, he is where he was.
O let not Mankind suffer by him; for
Nature does Monsters (such as he) abhor:
Nor Reason, nor Philanthropy allows,
To think all men, like him, perfidious.
Their final ruin, prodromous of Hell.
Had, as a pledge of
Heavenly
glories, light:
Calling for
Moses,
and as ifit had been
A
Credible
he tells him,
really
He meant to let them go; (a
real lie)
Only your
Cattle
leave behind (says he)
•
eave your
Estates,
your
Persons
shall go free.
Let's hunt the
Plot,
was it his
Avarice
To sell them their Religion at a price?
Or wasit
good Husbandry
save what he could,
Seeing he could not have all that he would?
Or, was it
Policy
to draw them back,
When Wilderness makes them begin to lack?
For when this heat is over (perhaps he thought)
They will
repent
what they've so dearly bought.
What e're it were; his
Grant
doth not suffice,
•
ivil
as well as
Sacred
Liberty,
•
n all
respects,
their God will have them free.
•
ea? say ye so? I thought (quoth
Egypt's
King)
That
Heaven-born
souls minded no
earthly
things;
And that you did believe,
God
would supply
All things, both for your
life
and
piety.
But since you will have it so; to let you see
My love,
I will not give leave, but banish ye:
I will have no more, nor
tedious
repetitions
Of that same,
Let my people go:
be gone.
So meek was much; but yet behind him leaves
Thee of thy
First-born;
all thy Sons shall die,
Shall fill the Land, and
(stout
as is thy
heart)
Thou and thine shall
entreat
us to depart.
Brave Souls
make no
unworthy compositions,
Nor will admit of
sordid Propositions;
And
proud Egyptians
must
before him bow.
Both in the
Courtiers
and the
Country
's sight.
Next he prepares his People to be gone,
Of the
Egyptians
Gold and Jewels
horrow;
Who lend with
joy,
what they must lose with
sorrow.
Who had enriched themselves by
Jacob
's toil;
Who in their
eyes
at last does favor
find,
Who had so long to them been so
unkind.
But so it is in every house
one dead.
Pharaoh
awakes, arose, cries out dismayed,
Take all your flocks, do all your God requires;
And last of all their Blessing he desires:
As
Esau
did,
Pharaoh
doth, blessing crave,
Which neither he, nor he, deserved to have:
He might have then expected it as due.
But this doth show, that wicked men distrest,
Do value by God's people to be blest.
After
seven
precepts,
let my people go,
After
three
promises,
it shall be so.
Lap up their Dough unleav'ned as it lay.
A
mixed multitude
follow anon;
Prosperity
will have its hangers on.
Liberty
sweetens mean unleav'ned Cakes.
In a strange Land, and what they underwent.
Four hundred thirty years just was their stay,
He led them forth not by the nearest cut,
Through the
Philistines
(great opposers) but
Camp by the Sea-side, under God's Protection;
shut up, entangled in the Wilderness;
And chosen Horsemen, quickly comes in view:
Israel
fears, chides
Moses,
wish for Graves
In
Egypt,
wish they'd lived and died there slaves.
The last four Lines two
Wonders
make appear;
That
Pharaoh
should have hope, and
Israel
fear;
Considering all the Wonders that had been;
What the one had felt, and what the other had seen,
These Wonders are no Wonders (you will find)
Compar'd to Wonders, that are yet behind.
What should their safety,
Egypt's
ruin be.
Removes behind, the Pillar guards the rear:
To
Israel
day, to the
Egyptians
night.
There march the
Israelites
within the hollow,
On whom the Lord an angry look does cast;
Till
Israel
is landed on the
shore;
I'ved done the story; now sit down and muse,
I have set before you
good
and
evil;
choose.
Now let the
Sinner
(if he durst) be bold,
And
Obstinate,
who hears this story told,
Now let the feeble, fearful, trembling
saint
From this day forward
never more
be
faint.
May this a
Warning
and an
Arming
be
To Men
Concern'd: O Lord I heg of thee,
Cui Gloria in Excelsis & hominibus Pax.
FINIS.