88o [o11templationr. LIB. V l. courage them,thofe two cowards would have prevailed againft thofe ten folicirors: A How much more now ten oppofc, and but two incouraae ! An eafie Rherorick drawes us to rheworfe parr ; yea, it is hard not to run dow~ the hill. The fad ionof evillis fo much ftronger in our nature, then rharofGood, that every leaft motion prevailes for the one : fcarce any fuite for the other. Now is Mofos in danger oflofingall the coft and c!re,th.at ever he beftowed upon lfrael: H1s people are already gone back to £gypr,m rhe1r hearts; and their bodies are returning. Oh ye rebellious Hebrewes, wherelhall God have you at !aft! Did ever <.Mofos promifeto bring you to a fi:uitfull Land with~ut inhabitants ~ To aive you a rich Country, without refiftance ~ Are notthe graves ofCanaan as gooJ, as thofe of..Egypt ~ What canye but dye at the hands ofthe Anakims ~ Can ye hope for leffe from the ..Egyptians ! What madneffe is this to wi01 to dye, for feare of B death<Is rhere leffe hope from yourenemies,rharlhall be,when yegoe under ftrong and expert Leaders, then from rhe enemies that were, when ye lhall rerurn mafterleffe?Can rhofe crudl.£gyptians fo foone haveforgotten the bloudof their fathers, children, brothers, husbands, which peri01ed in purfuing you! Hadye rather rruft themercyofknown enemies,thenthepromifeof a faithful! God~ Which waywill ye return ~ Who lhall divide the Sea for you! Who lhall leech you water our of the Rock! Or canye hope that the Mannaof God will follow you, while ~run from him~ Feeble mindes, whentheymeet with croffes they lookr nor for, repent oftheirgood beginnings, and wifh any difficulty rather then that they finde. Haw many have pulledback their foot from thenarrowway,for the troubles of a good profeflion~ C Jt had bin time for the Ifraelites to have fallen downon their faces before UlfoJer and LA' aron,and to bave faid,Ye led us thorow theSea,makewayfor us into Cana-. an.ThofeGiantS are ftrong,butnotfo ll:rong as the RockofReph1dim;ye ftroke that and it yecldet!;lf ~hc;y be rall,the Pillar ofGodis higherthenthey:whenwe lookon ourfelves,we fee caufe offeare; but when we confider themiraculous power ofyou ourleaders, W~<:annGt but contemne thofe men ofmeafures.Leave us not therefore, butgoe beft>re us in your direClions,goe to God for us inyour praiers.But nowcontrarily Mofes al)d Aaron fall on their faces tp them,and fue to them,thatthey would be content eo be conduCled.Had they binlulferedeo depart,they had perifhed;Mofos and his few had binviClorious: and yet, as ifhe could not be happy without them, he falls on his facecochem,thacthey would ilay. We bavene>·erfo much need to D be importunedas in thofe things whofe bendicfhould make us moft imponunate. The fweetneffe ofGods Law, andourpromifed glory is fuch, as fhould draw all hearts afi:er it; And yet ifwe did not fue eomen (as for life) that they would be re. conciled to God,and be faved, I doubt whether they would obey;yea,icwere well, ifour fute were fufficienc ro prevaile. , . Though Mpfos and Aaron increat upontheir f..ces, and Iojbua and Cakh perfwade and rend theirgarments, yet theymove nothing. The obftinate multitude, growne mor~ viol<ntwirh oppoling,is ready to return them ll:ones for their prayers. Such hath been everthe thanksof fidelity and truth ; croffed wickedneffe proves defperate,and in fteadofyeelding,feekes for revenge.Nothing is fo hateful! eo a refolure finner,as good counfell:Weare becomeenemies torheworld becaufewe tell them E truth. ·r That Godwhith was invilibly pr<fentwhiles they finned,when they have finned lhewes himfd(glorious.Theymight have feen him before,thatthoy l!iould not fin; nowthey cannot chufebut fee him in the height of their fin. They faw before, the Pillar of his ordinaryprefence: now they fee himunufually terrible; that they may with lhame and horror, confdfehim able todefend, able to revenge. The_help of God uies to OJCw it felfin extremity.He that can prevent evills,conceales h1s ayde, tilldanger be ripe; and then he is as fearfull,as before h~ feemed connivent. Corah's
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