Book II. G 0 D coMPARED TO A L I 0 N. SIMILE an amazing Look; and how ready are all to run, and Jhift for their Lives, when he rifes up to the Prey I Ill. None can take away the Prey from a Lion, as the Prophet fheweth us; who, if he goeth throuo-h a Flock of Sheep, both tread~h down, and tearerh in Pieces, and none can deliver. PARALLEL. and Wrath againit them, let all ftand clear: How ready are all to fly, when God riies up to the Prey? that is, to be aveng~d on the Ungodly. !I!. None can deliver themfelves out of God's Hands, when he comes forth againft them as an hungry Lion. God tells us, He will arife to the Pvey, and all the Earth jhall be dev oured with the Fire of his Jea/oujj, Z eph. iii. 8. There is none can deliver out of his Hand, !fa. xliii. '3·– neither Power, nor Policy, Craft, nor omward Force, will fignify any thing. IV. The dreadful God, when Sinners fall int,o his !·:lands, will crufh them as a Lion: Confider this, Je that forget God, left he teat· you in Pieces, Pfal. 1.-1will arife, and devour at once, I will rent the Caulof their Heart, and there will! de·vour like a Lio;z, Hof xiii. 8. A reverend Divine hath an excellent Note upon this Place: ' The Lord will ' do as a Lion cloth; he more immediately will ' fl:rike out the1r Hearts, and punifh them with ' fpiritual Plagues and Judgments : And as for ' their Eftates and Bodies, he will leave them to ' other Beafts, and they, !hall plague them that way. Their Hearts were grown fat, they had ' a Film about their Hearts, and ln!huchon could ' . not get to their Hearts; but God will tear that ' Caul, that Film from off their Hearts.' Mr. Burroughson Hofea, hath noted further, That it denotes the fending Plagues upon the H earts of wicked Men, and to leave their Eftates, &c. to the /JJ!jrians; confirming Luther's Obfervation; and for a further Confirmation, cites Arius Monta1lus. IV. A Lion is ftrong, and crufi1es the whole Compages of a Man's Bones at one Crufh; he rends the Body of Man to Pieces. And Na– turalifts tell us, That when the Lion hath torn the Body afunder, he loves to fuck the Blood that is about the Heart;' and as for other Parts of the Body, except he is very hungry, he leaves them to other Beafts to prey upon; but the Heart, the Blood, and the Fat that is about the Heart, the Lion loves to fuck. V. The Lion is a Creature (as, N aturalifts obferve *) that feems much for J uftice. No Creature more fixed or conftant in their Love and Friendfhip, or more ready to revenge the Breach of Amity, than is a Lion; which is further demonftrated by a great Hiftorian, citing a PaJTage of Eudemus, t who writeth of a certain young Man, that nourifi1ed together many Years, a Dog, a Bear, and a Lion; who lived in perfect Peace and Concord, without Breach, Snarling, or Appearance ofAnger. But on a Day, as the Dog and the Bear played together, and biting one another gently, it ,happened that the poor Dog faftened his Teeth in ::-port, deeper than the Bear could digeft ; and thereupon he prefently fell upon him, and with his Claws tore out the foft Part of his Belly, whereof he pre– fently died. The Lion fitting by, V. The holy God is juft in all he cloth : Juft and righteous are thy 'judgments, 0 Lord. 'The right Hand ofthe Lord is full of Righteoufnefs, Pfal– xliii. 1. Yet he delights to live in Love, Concord, and real Friendfhip with all his Creatures; and 0 how fixed and conibnt is he therein, and how loth that any Jhould move him to Anger! But when once the Covenant of Peace and Amity is broken, and nought but Cruelty and Injuftice appears amongft Men, and the great Ones of the Eartlt prove Tyrants, and tear in Pieces, and devour the Poor; how is God thereby enraged, or ftirred up to revenge the Breach of his Law I For the Oppref– .fzon of the Poor, faith God, will! arife, Pfal. xii. 5· And he will retaliate upon the Wicked, ac– cording to the Namre of theEviis they have done. Rob not the Poor, becaufe they arepoor; neither op– prefs the /lif/ifled in theCate: For the Lordwillplead their Caufe, and JPoil the Soul of thofe that JPoiled them, Prov. xxii. 22. /lnd I heard the Angel of the Water fay, 'Thou art righteous, 0 Lord, which art, and wajf, and jhalt be, becaufe thou haft judged thus; for they have jhed the Blood of Saints and Prophets, and thou haft given them Blood to drink, for they are worthy, Re·v. xvi. 5, 6. God always • SenuR in his Book, Dt Bttlffi,iis out of Gtllius. t 'T•pfidl, Lib. i, p. 336. Proportions
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