Book V. WICKED MEN COMPARED TO L ·IONS. 795 ME T A P H 0 R. P A R A L L E L. • with Tides 2nd Privileges, with H onors and Relations: 'Solomon confidering the • Opprdlions that were under the Sun, dbferves Tears on the one fide, and Strength • on the other; On the fide of tbe Opprejfor there was Power,' Ectlef iv. 1• .lV. A Lion is a crafty and very IV. So Tyrants, as hath been !hewed, ate very fubti! Creature, and hence faid to fubtil, they have a great Stock or'Policy as well lurk in fecret Places, and lieth in as Power. Though. as Mr. Caryl notes, we ufu– wait.fecretly in his Den. ally oppofe the J;-ion's Skin, and the Fox's Sin, yet many rimes they meet bot~ in ohe; fome are double !kinned as well as double cloathed. H ence we have that Phrafe, \vhen D~vid compares a wicked Man to a Lion, He lieth in wait fectetly ar a Lion in his Den; like as a Lion that is greedy of his Prey, and as it were a young Lion lurking in flcret Places: Pfal. x. J)· and xvii. 12. They will, as Naturalifts obferve, hide themfelves in the Dens, left Palrengers !bould be alfrighted at 'them. V. Lions, efpecially, are cruel, V. So wicked Men are 'grein Tyrants, and have Blood-fuckinganddevouring. Poalways been very cruel and Blood-thirfty. Whao f;·bitts aflirmeth, that he faw them bloody Wretches were Nero, Caligula, &c. And beliege, :ind compafs about fevewhat Tyrants and devouring Monfters have the ral Cities of Afric; they will dePopes and bloody Papifts been? For befides the vour both Man and Beaft, fctting many Thoufands of innocent Chriftians they have upon Troops of Horfe-men, deinhumanly butchered, Hittory lhew~ *, they de– ftroyingF!ocksand Herds of Catftroyed in dmerica, no lefs th'an fifteen Millions tle, carrying fome alive to their of poor. Heathens, fparing no Sex, young nor young Ones, killing five or fix at old, cumng Men, W omen and Children in Pieces, a time, &c. flayi ng their Skins olf, and roafting them alive, VI. Lions will roar terribly. When the Lion roareth, alt the Beafts of the Forejl tremble. The Naturalifts obferve t, that though many Creatures are fwiftcr of Foot than the Lion, yet when he roars they all fall down, and he over– takes them with his aftonifhing Voice; when a Lion is angry he beateth his Tail againfttheGround. VII. Lions are of a fierce, four and ftern Countenance; and in the Sight of Men :j:, it is faid, he is feldorn found without Rage. and burning them to A01es, making Children to kill their own dear Parents, &c. V I. So tyrannical Men with their roaringWords, 'their loud and terrible Threatenings, often affright and daunt poor timorous Chriftians; what faid the tyrannical King of Baby/on? Whofoewr fa!leth not down and worjhippeth the golden Image, jhal! be caft into the midft of a burning fiery Furnace, Dan. iii. I 1. And now, Lord, behold their 'Threatenings, &c. /lt7s iv. Be not afraid of their 'Terror, &c. I Pet. iii. VII. It is faid of the fourth Beaft, his Looks was more !tout than his Fellows. \'licked l'erfe– cutors, and Tyrants, look oft-times upon the Godly with an angry Countenance, Dan. vii. Much of Man's Heart is known by his Face; Frowns are as Blows, hence we call it Brow-beating. The Love of God, faith Mr. Caryl, is exprdfed by the Pleafantnefs of his Face, and the Light of his Countenance; fo alfo is the Love of Man. And we may fee what the intent of a Perfon is, by his Looks ; many are in this refpeCI: Lion-like : They have, as Arijlotle faith of the natu– ral Lion, Clouds and Storms hanging about their Eye-brows; it was a threatening agJ~inft the Jews, in cafe ot Difobedience, that God would fend againit them, ANa– tion of a fierce Countenance, which jhould not regard the Perfon of the Old, nor jhew fa– vor to the Young, Deut. xxviii. 50. Vlll. Lions are hungry and VIII. ~o are wicked Men 3nd Tyrants, 'They greedy Creatures. have (et their Eyes bowing down to the Earth: Like as aLion that isgreedy of his Prey, Pfat. xvii. 11, 12. D I S P A R ·I T Y. THERE are many excellent 0!:1alities in a Lion, which no way agree t6 wicked Men and Tyrants, which we lhall leave to the Reader to find Ollt; upon which account God and Chrifl are compared in the Scripture to a Lion: SeePage 263·, and337. • See Clar1's Examples. Vol. II. t Gifner. f Gtfn,., 'l'opfil. p. no. INF E -
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