there was no cause to repent of that which proved so successful.

Even late confession finds forgiveness. Joseph had long ago seen their sorrow, never but now heard he their humble acknowledgment. Mercy stays not for outward solemnities. How much more shall that infinite goodness pardon our sins, when he finds the truth of our repentance!

BOOK IV.

CONTEMPLATION I.

The Affliction of Israel.

EGYPT was long an harbour to the Israelites; now it proves a jail: the posterity of Jacob finds too late, what it was for their forefathers to sell Joseph a slave into Egypt. Those whom the Egyptians honoured before as lords, now they contemn as drudges. One Pharaoh advances, whom another labours to depress. Not seldom the same man changes copies but if favours outlive one age, they prove decrepit and heartless. It is a rare thing to find posterity heirs of their father's love. How should men's favour be but like themselves, variable and inconstant? There is no certainty but in the favour of God, in whom can be no change, whose love is intailed upon a thousand generations.

Yet if the Israelites had been treacherous to Pharaoh, if disobedient, this great change of countenance had been just : now the only offence of Israel is, that he prospereth. That which should be the motive of their gratulation and friendship, is the cause of their malice. There is no more hateful sight to a wicked man, than the prosperity of the conscionable. None but the Spirit of that true harbinger of Christ, can teach us to say with contentment, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

And what if Israel be mighty and rich? "If there be war, they may join with our enemies, and get them out of the land." Behold, they are afraid to part with those whom they are grieved to entertain: either staying or going is offence enough to those that seek quarrels: there were no wars, and yet they say, If there be wars. The Israelites had never

given cause of fear to revolt, and yet they say, "Lest they join to our enemies," to those enemies which we may have so they make their certain friends slaves, for fear of uncertain enemies. Wickedness is ever cowardly, and full of unjust suspicions; it makes a man fear, where no fear is; fly, when none pursues him. What difference there is betwixt David and Pharaoh! The faith of the one says, "I will not be afraid for ten thousand that should beset me:" the fear of the other says, Lest, if there be war, they join with our enemies ;' therefore should he have made much of the Israelites, that they might be his his favour might have made them firm. Why might they not as well draw their swords for him?

Weak and base minds ever incline to the worse, and seek safety rather in an impossibility of hurt, than in the likelihood of just advantage. Favours had been more binding than cruelties: yet the foolish Egyptian had rather have impotent servants, than able friends. For their welfare alone, Pharaoh owes Israel a mischief; and how will he pay it?

"Come let us work wisely." Lewd men call wicked policies wisdom, and their success happiness. Herein Satan is wiser than they, who both lays the plot, and makes them such fools as to mistake villainy and madness for the best virtue.

Injustice is upheld by violence, whereas just governments are maintained by love. Task-masters must be set over Israel; they should not be the true seed of Israel, if they were not still set to wrestle with God in afflictions: heavy burdens must be laid upon them. Israel is never but loaded: the destiny of one of Jacob's sons is common to all, to lie down betwixt their burdens. If they had seemed to breathe them in Goshen sometimes, yet even there it was no small misery to be foreigners, and to live among idolaters; but now the name of a slave is added to the name of a stranger. Israel hath gathered some rust in idolatrous Egypt, and now he must be scoured they had borne the burden of God's anger, if they had not borne the burdens of the Egyptians.

As God afflicted them with another mind than the Egyptians (God to exercise them, the Egyptians to suppress them), so causes he the event to differ. Who would not have thought, with these Egyptians, that so extreme misery should not have made the Israelites unfit, both for generation and resistance? Moderate exercise strengthens, extreme destroys nature: that God, which many times works by contrary means, caused

them to grow with depression, with persecution to multiply. How can God's church but fare well, since the very malice of their enemies benefits them! Oh the sovereign goodness of our God, that turns all our poisons into cordials! God's vine bears the better with bleeding.

And now the Egyptians could be angry with their own maliciousness, that this was the occasion of multiplying them whom they hated and feared; to see that this service gained more to the workmen than to their masters: the stronger therefore the Israelites grew, the more impotent grew the malice of their persecutors. And since their own labour strengthens them, now tyranny will try what can be done by the violence of others. Since the present strength cannot be subdued, the hopes of succession must be prevented: women must be suborned to be murderers; and those whose office is to help the birth, must destroy it.

There was less suspicion of cruelty in that sex, and more opportunity of doing mischief. The male children must be born, and die at once. What can be more innocent than the child that hath not lived so much as to cry, or to see light? It is fault enough to be the son of an Israelite. The daughters may live for bondage, for lust; a condition so much (at the least) worse than death, as their sex was weaker. O marvellous cruelty, that a man should kill a man, for his sex's sake! Whosoever hath loosed the reins unto cruelty, is easily carried into incredible extremities.

From burdens they proceed to bondage, and from bondage to blood from an unjust vexation of their body, to an inhuman destruction of the fruit of their body. As the sins of the concupiscible part, from slight motions, grow on to foul executions, so do those of the irascible. There is no sin whose harbour is more unsafe than that of malice: but ofttimes the power of tyrants answers not their will. Evil commanders cannot always meet with equally mischievous agents.

The fear of God teaches the midwives to disobey an unjust command; they well knew how no excuse it is for evil, I was bidden. God said to their hearts, "Thou shalt not kill." This voice was louder than Pharaoh's. I commend their obedience in disobeying; I dare not commend their excuse. There was as much weakness in their answer, as strength in their practice: as they feared God in not killing, so they feared Pharaoh in dissembling. Ofttimes those that make

conscience of greater sins, are overtaken with less. It is well and rare, if we can come forth of a dangerous action without any soil; and if we have escaped the storm, that some afterdrops wet us not.

Who would not have expected that the midwives should be murdered, for not murdering? Pharaoh could not be so simple to think these women trusty; yet his indignation had no power to reach to their punishment. God prospered the midwives; who can harm them? Even the not doing of evil is rewarded with good. And why did they prosper? Because they feared God; not for their dissimulation, but their piety; so did God regard their mercy, that he regarded not their infirmity. How fondly do men lay the thank upon the sin, which is due to the virtue. True wisdom teaches to distinguish God's actions, and to ascribe them to the right causes : pardon belongs to the lie of the midwives, and remuneration to their goodness; prosperity to their fear of God.

But that which the midwives will not, the multitude shall do. It were strange if wicked rulers should not find some or other instruments of violence: all the people must drown whom the women saved: cruelty hath but smoked before, now it flames up; secret practising hath made it shameless, that now it dare proclaim tyranny. It is a miserable state, where every man is made an executioner. There can be no greater argument of an ill cause, than a bloody persecution; whereas truth upholds herself by mildness, and is promoted by patience. This is their act, what was their issue? The people must drown their males, themselves are drowned: they die by the same means by which they caused the poor Israelitish infants to die. That law of retaliation which God will not allow to us, because we are fellow-creatures, he justly practiseth in us. God would have us read our sins in our judgments, that we might both repent of our sins and give glory to his justice..

Pharaoh raged before; much more now, that he received a message of dismission. The monitions of God make ill men worse: the waves do not beat, nor roar any where so much as at the bank, which restrains them. Corruption, when it is checked, grows.mad with rage; as the vapour in a cloud would not make that fearful report, if it met not with opposition. A good heart yields at the stillest voice of God: but the most gracious motions of God harden the wicked. Many would

not be so desperately settled in their sins, if the world had not controlled them. How mild a message was this to Pharaoh, and yet how galling! "We pray thee let us go." God commands him that which he feared. He took pleasure in the present servitude of Israel: God calls for a release. If the suit had been for mitigation of labour, for preservation of their children, it might have carried some hope, and have found some favour: but now God requires that which he knows will as much discontent Pharaoh, as Pharaoh's cruelty could discontent the Israelites; "Let us go." How contrary are God's precepts to natural minds! And indeed, as they love to cross him in their practice, so he loves to cross them in their commands before, and his punishments afterwards. It is a dangerous sign of an ill heart to feel God's yoke heavy.

Moses talks of sacrifice. Pharaoh talks of work. Any thing seems due work to a carnal mind, saving God's service; nothing superfluous, but religious duties. Christ tells us, there is but one thing necessary; nature tells us, there is nothing but that needless; Moses speaks of devotion, Pharaoh of idleness. It hath been an old use, as to cast fair colours upon our own vitious actions, so to cast evil aspersions upon the good actions of others. The same devil that spoke in Pharaoh, speaks still in our scoffers, and calls religion hypocrisy; conscionable care, singularity. Every vice hath a title, and every virtue a disgrace.

Yet while possible tasks were imposed, there was some comfort: their diligence might save their backs from stripes. The conceit of a benefit to the commander, and hope of impunity to the labourer, might give a good pretence to great difficulties. But to require tasks not feasible is tyrannical, and doth only pick a quarrel to punish. They could neither make straw, nor find it, yet they must have it. Do what may be, is tolerable; but do what cannot be, is cruel. Those which are above others in place, must measure their commands, not by their own wills, but by the strength of their inferiors. To require more of a beast than he can do, is inhuman. The task is not done; the task-masters are beaten : the punishment lies where the charge is; they must exact it of the people, Pharaoh of them. It is the misery of those which are trusted with authority, that their inferiors' faults are beaten upon their backs. This was not the fault to require it of the task-masters, but to require it by the task-masters of