836 [ontemptations. L 1 s.llll. fettle there :yea, his very mifgiving h1rdens him the more: that now neither the A murren ofhiscmell,nor the botches ofhis fervams pn flir him awhit. He faw his cattle firuck dead with a fudden contagion ; he faw his Sorcerers (after their con. reflation wirh Gods meffengers;- firuck with a fcab in their very faces, and yet his heart is not firuck. Who would think it poffible that any foule could be lecure in themiddell offuch variety,and frequence of judgements~ Thefe very plagues have not more wonder in them,then thtit fucceffe hath. To what an height of obduration will finne lead aman,:lndofall fins,incredulity~ Amidfiall thefe fiorms Phartuh lleepeth,til! the voice ofGods mighty thunders,and hay le mixedwith fire, rouzed him up a little. . . . ' Now,as b~twixt lleeping andwaking,he tlarrs up andfayes,God i; righte0rn, I •m wicked; tMofes prJofor rn; and prefently byes downe his head againe.God bath no 1l fooner donethun ering,then he bathdonefearin_g.All thiswhileyou rrever lind him carefull to prevent arry one evil!, but ddirous fi1ll to lluft lt off, whoa he fedes it. never holds confbnt ro any goodmotion;_never prayes for himfelf, but carelelly w1ls Mofls and A.ron ro pray for h•m; never yedds God h!Swhole demand,bur higlerh & dodgeth,like fome hard chapman,tharwouldget a releafewith rhecheape!!: Firfi,rhey {lull not goe;rhen,Goe and facrifice-,but in ..£gypr;next,Goe facrifice in thewildernes,but not far off; after, Goe ye that aremen ; then, Goe youand your children onely; at !aft, Goe all faveyour fbeep' andc~ttle.Wherefoevor meere Nature is, (he is frill improvident offuture good,feufibleofpre-feru: evil!, inconfianr in good purpofes ; unabk, rhrouJh unacquainrance, and unwilling to fpeake for her fdf,niggardly in her granrs,an "nchearfull. The plague ofthe Grafl1oppors fiart- c led him a lirrle;and the more through the imporruniry ofhis fervants: for when he confidered the fifh defiroyed with the firfi blow, the cattle wir& the fifr, the come with the fevemh,the fruir and leaves withthis eighth,aila nothingnow !efr him but a bare fruitle(f~ <arrh to live upon.(and that, covered over with Locufrs ) 'necdlity drove him to rdentfor anadvantage: Forgive methis once; takefrom me ihi; death onely. · But as conflrained repentance is ever fhort andunfound; theWell wind, togerhetwiththe Grafho\pers,blowesnway hisremorfe; and now is he ready for another judgement. As t ,;, Gra01oppers rooke away the' fight ofthe earth from him,fo nowa groffe darkneffe takes away the fight ofheaventoo:other darkndfes werebut D privarive,rhis was reall and fenfible. The ;Egyptians rhought this night long, (how could they chufe when it was fix in one~) and fo much the more, fort hat no man could rifeto talk withother,but was neceffarily confined ro his own thoughts: One thinksrhe fault in his owne eyes, which he rubs oftenrimesin vaine: Otbers think, that the Sunne is loll: our ofthe Firmamenr,and is nowwithdr.1wn for ever: Others, that all things are returning to their firfi confufion :all think themfelves miferable, pall remedy,and \Vifh (wharfoever had befalne them) that theymight have had but light enough to fee themfdves dye. Now PhAraoh ptoves like to fame beall.:s that grow mad with bairing:grace ofi:en relift:ed,turoes ro defperJteneffe,Get theefrom me,look thMfoe my firce no m1rt; whenfoever tho• commcfl in rirj fight,thoujb.1lt die.As ifMofls could not plagu" him as well in abfence: as ifhethat could not take away the Lice, Flyes, Frogs, Grafhoppers, E could at his pleafur.,take away the life ofMofls, that pxocured them. What is this but to ruh upon the judgements and' run away from the remedies~ Evermore when Godsmeffengers are abandoned, defiruction is neare. Mofts will fee himno more, rill he fee him dead tlpon the C1nds; but God will nowvifit himmore thenever: The fearefulletl plagues God frill referves for the upa1or : All the former doe but make way forthe la!tP/Jdraob may exclude M•fes and AMon, but Gods Angell he cannot , exclude : Infenfible meffengers are ufed,when the vifibleare debarred. Now God b<gins to call for the Bloud they owed him:lnonenighteveryhoufe hath a carka!fe in it, and (which is moregrievous) oftheir firfi born, and which (ts i yer more fearefullJ in an infianr. No man could comfo1torher; eve1'y man wasroo fullofhisowneforrow, helping raihertomakerhe noifeofthelamenl'ltion more dolefull
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