The bright star which leadeth wise men to our Lord Jesus Christ, or, A…

Both these wonderful alterations, in how little a time were they wrought, when God took in hand to work them. So in Egypt, God took in hand to deliver his people from cruel Pharaohs tyranny, what army had he, for that conquest, and who should be the captain? Moses and Aron, two old men, the one eighty, the other eighty three, these must go, themselves alone. But how were they furnished against Pharaohs resistance, and to take the Israelites perforce from his servitude; Aron must have nothing, but he must speak what Moses bad him; And Moses he must carry his shepherds staff; weak men, and weak means one would think, to make an encounter upon so great a King; If a carnal man had seen these two going against Pharaoh, and thinking to set the Israelites at liberty perforce, whether he would or no, he would have judged ⟨image 96⟩that they should have been slaves till this day, unless they had seen some b•tter store of provision, then an old man with a shepherds staff in his hand. But God taking in hand to work by these means, we see of what force and power that staff was, that when Moses but held it up, it brought such plagues upon Pharaoh and all Egypt, that all the kings in the world could not have vexed and troubled him more with all their power; he never shook his staff in vain, but still some notable plague followed, that devoured the whole land. With this staff he stroke the waters, & they were turned into blood. He stroke the dust with this staff, and it turned into lice; He held up his staff towards heaven, there came grasshoppers, flies, thunder, scabs, & when he had made any of these wounds, he could cure them in as little space. One word unto God by Moses made all whole again. So for our redemption, a poor maidens son, that himself seemed a poor base fellow of no reckoning or note, that had no wealth nor authority in the world, nay had not so much as an house to put his head in; he must come & be brought before a judge, & there be condemned, scourged, mocked, spitted on, crowned with thorns; at length must be carried and hanged upon a cross, and bear the pains and anguish of Gods curse in his soul on the cross, and by these means, God must be set at peace with man, a perfect reconciliation was made, and all former sins and jars twixt God and man, put away.

Both these wonderfull alterations, in how little a time were they wrought, when God tooke in hand to work them. So in Aegipt, God tooke in hand to deliuer his people from cruell Pharaohs tyranny, what army had he, for that conquest, and who should be the captaine? Moses and Aron, two old men, the one eightie, the other eightie three, these must goe, themselues alone. But how were they furnisht against Pharaohs resistance, and to take the Israelits perforce from his seruitude; Aron must haue nothing, but hee must speake what Moses bad him; And Moses he must carry his shepherds staffe; weake men, and weake meanes one would think, to make an encounter vpon so great a King; If a carnall man had seene these two going against Pharaoh, and thinking to set the Israelites at libertie perforce, whether he would or no, he would haue judged