796 W I C KED MEN · .COMPARED To L l 0 N S. Book IV. N F E R E N C E ~ THOUGH thefe Liops are very fhong and powerful, yet God is ftronger than they, and he is againft them: 'And he in a fpecial Manner defires, faith Caryl*, to be • dealing with thefe, for they in the Pride of their Spirits think themfelves a Match for ' God ; though indeed their Strength is but Weaknefs, and their Wifdom, notwith– ·' ftanding their Fox-like Craft, but Foolifhnefs, yet in their own conceit they are ·• ftronger and wifer than God himfelf. Hence, like Pharaoh, they fent Defiance ro • Heaven, and fay, Who is the Lord? Exod. v. 2. When God fees the HeartS of Men • fwoln to this height of infolent Madnefs, he delights to fhew himfelf, and graple • with them that their Pride may come down. . ' What are all thefe Lions to the Lion of the Tribe of Jttdah, if the Lord do· but ' roar, if the Lion of the Tribe of Judah do but come forth againfl: thefe Lions, they < will run ro hide themfe1ves, and call to the Rocks and Mountains to cover them, &c. • R ev. vi. 15, 16. God is faid in the holy Scripture, to deftroy thefe Lions by De– ·' grees, he proceeds gradually againft them. ' Firfl:, H e fl:ops the roaring of the Lions, they !hall not be able to make fuch a 'dreadful noife as heretofore; their roaring may be fl:opped when their Voice is not, ' though they can fpeak, yet they !hall not yell. 'Secondly, Jn the fecond Place, he breaks the Voice of the Lions, they !hall only ' not roar, but they !hall not fo much as fpeak, either againfl: the Lambs, or againfl: ' the Sheep, or for themfelves, 'Fbe Voice of tbe fierce Lion jhall be taken away. God is ' able tQ filence Lions and fl:op their Mouths, not only fr.om devouring and roaring, ·' but from fpea!>ing . • Thirdly, When their Voice is taken away, and their roaring, yet their Teeth will ' remain; and they will be biting and tearing !till, though they have done roaring and • yelling; therefore at rhe third Stroke God brea.ks out their Teeth, 'Ihe 'Ieetb of the ' yotmg L ions are broken. So the Pfalmifl: prays, Pfal. Jviii. 6. Break their 'Teeth . in ' their JVloutbs, break out the great 'Ieetb of the ptmg Lions, 0 Lord; that is, take • away the Infl:ruments by which they opprefs, the Means by whicil they tear and • rend, as Lions "ith their cruel Teeth. • fourthly, Chrifl: deals fu rther with thefe Lions, he not only breaks their Teeth by ·• which they .ufed to hurt others, but he takes away their Prey and their Meat; they ' !hall not have wherewith to live themfelves, they were wont to fuck the Blood of the ' Slain, and to eat the Flefh of the Poor; but now the Lord will pluck away their ' Prey, they themfelves !hall be flarved or pinched with Hunger. ' Laflly, Not only 01all their Meat be taken away, but thq' themfelves !hall be • fcanered and difperfed ; this is the lafl: Step of their Calamity. Their Dens !hall be ' broken up, and their lurking Places !hall be opened, they 01all run from Place to Place, 'from Nation to Nation: This is the Judgment of the Lord upon Lions, and thePor– ·' tion of the cruel Enemies of our God. • Who hath not ken the Truth of all this in our Days ? We ha.ve had Lions, roaring ' Lions, rending, tearing Lions amongil: us: It was urual among the Heathens in the1r • Perlecutions to cry out, Away with tbe Chrijlians to the Lions ! This we have often : feen, in the Figure, poor Chriftians fent to the Lions ; put under the Pow.er of Men, • as cruel, as blsody, as Lions. Many an one might fay, asDavid, Pfal. l.vij, 4jl1j Soul • is among Lions. When the vVatchmen, in the Prophet lfaiah, was aO<ed, Watchman,. ~what of the Night? he anfwered, A Lion, my L ord, !fa . xxi. 8. Our forrowful Watch– .' men fl:anding upon their Towers, confidering thefe !ad Times, being afked, What of • the J'Jay? have anfwered, We fee a Lion, a Company of L ions, tearing and rending in .' many Parts of tbe Nation; not Bodies and States only, but Souls and Confciences. ' God hath wonderfully delivered his Darling from the Lions, his Daniels from-the Lions • Den. He hath already delivered [o far, t·hat the Lions dare not roar, as they were ' wont;· the Teeth of many of the young Lions are broken, many of the old Lions are • ready tQ Jlel lfh for want of Prey, and not .a few of their \\'helps are fcattered abroad . • God hath raifed up Sampfons to tear thefe Lions, which roared upon us, he hath • fl:irred up Davids tO fmite t~efe Lions, and refcue the Prey out of their Teeth; and ,~ . though many Lions are amongfl: us, yet they dare not roar, much kfs, tear as they • Ca_ryl '"Job, .Ch. iv. p. lis, 66, 67, 68• .!
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