-· - ·- LIB. I II I. Of the plaguesof .JEppt. -I s~, . A (hall undoe himwith prevailing; theglery ofa feco.nd mirackOull be obfcured by I a falfe imiracion,for a greater glory to God in the fequell. The rod is lift up again,Behold,that Nilus which they had before adored,\Oas never fo bendiC!all as tt lS now troublefome; yeddmg them not ondy a dead,but a living annoyance: It never did fo frore theni with Ftlh, as now it plagues them with . Frogges;whatfoever any man makes his god,belides the true one, lhall be once his tormenter. Thofe loth!omecreatures leave their owne element, to punilh them which rebelliouflydetaine Ifrad from their owne. No Bed, noTable can be free from them, their dainty Ladies cannot keep them out oftheir bofomes ; neither cad the ,"£gyptians fooner open their mouthes, then they are ready to creep into their throats; as if they would tell them, that they came on purpofe to revenge the B wrongs of their Maker: yet even this wonder alfo is Satanallowed to imitate.Who can marvell to fee the bell: vertues counrerfaited by wicked men, when he fees the Devill emulating the miraculous power ofGod ~ the feats that Satan plaies may harden,but cannot benefit. He that hath leave tobring Frogs, hath neither leave, nor power, to take them away, nortotake away the £\ench from them. To bring them, wasbuttoaddetothe)udgemenr; to removethemwasan act of mercy. God doth commonly ufe Satan in executing of judgement,never in the workes of mercy to men. Yet even by thus much is Phara•h hordned, and the Sorcerers growneinfolent. When the devill and his agents are in the height oftheir pride, God lhames them in a trifle.The rod is lift up:thevery dull: receives life: Lice abound everywhere, and c m:~k~ no difference bdwixt beggars and Princes.Though Pharaoh and his Courriers abhorred to fee themfelves louzy;yet they hoped this miraclewould be more ealily imitable: but now the greaterpoflibiliry,thegreater foyle. How are thegreat wonder-mongers of£gypt abalhed, that they can neither make Lice oftheir own, nor deliverthemfelves from the lice that are made ! Thofe that could make Serpents and Frogs,could not either make or kill Lice; to fi1ew them that thofe Frogs and Serpents were not their ownworkmanlhip.Now Ph4Y.oh mufr needs fee how imporent a devil! he ferved that could nor make that vermine which every day rifes voluntarily our ofcorruption. Iannri and•Jaw,hm cannot now make thofe Lice .( fo much as byddufion) which at another time they cannot chufe butproduce unknowing,andwhich now they cannot avoid. That fpirit which is powerfull to exeD cute the greare(\ thingswhen he isbidden, is unable to doerhe lea£\ \vhen he is re- £\rained. Now thefe corrivals of Mofti can fay, Th/4 is thf (ingtr ofGod. Ye fooli(h inchanters,was Gods finger in the Lice,not in the Frogs,not inthe Bloud,nor in the Serpent~ And why was it ratherinrhddfe, then in the greater~ Decaufe ye did imitate the other, not thefe. As ifthe fame finger ofGod had nor been before in your imitation, which was now in your rell:rainr: As ifye could have tailed in thefe1ifyehad not been only permitted the other. Whiles wicked minds have their full fcope, they never look up above rhemfelves; but when once God cro!fes them. in their proceedings, their want offuccefle teaches them to give God hi& owne. All thefeplagues pethaps had more horror then paine in them. The Frogs creop upon their clotl]es, the Lice upon their skins: bur thofe fiinging Hornets whlch fucceed E them, /hall wound and kill. The water was annoyed withthe fir£\ plague,the earth with the fec9nd and third; this fourth fills the :tyre, and belides corruption brings fmart. And that they may fee this winged army comes from an angry God (noteitherfrom norure,orchance)even thevery Flies (hall makeadifference betwixt£- gyptand Go01en.He gave them theirbeing,fers them their £\inr. They can no more ll:ing an Ifraelite,then favor an £gyptian.The verywings of Flies are direCled by a providence,anddoeasknow!egetheirlimirs. Now Pharaoh finds how impollible i~is. for him to ll:and out with Ood,!fnce all his power cannot refcue himfrom Lice and Flies. And now his heart begins to thaw a little:GO<,doe facrifirt toyour Godin th/4 Land: or(fincetharwill not be accepted, )Goe into the wi/J"n'/':1hutnot far: but howfoon it knits again! Good thoughtsmakebur athorow.fare o carnall heans,rhey can never fettle -
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