Front matter
The Saints Duty in Times of Extremity Hand-typed, formatted, modernized, and annotated by William H. Gross www.onthewing.org April 2020
Occasioned upon the news of extraordinary loss to the Parliament's forces in the west, Aug. 21, 1644. 1
Exo 14.13
Stand still, and see the Salvation of the Lord.
What the certainty is of the cause of those fears that are upon the hearts of people, is not yet apparent; but that there are many disquieting fears in their hearts, that is apparent to the full. And therefore, though I prepared for that ordinary course as formerly; yet for this time, I desire that you turn to that Scripture, so that I might speak a word in season.
The beginning of the verse is thus, And Moses said to the people, fear not, stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord. In the previous chapter, we have Pharaoh dismissing Israel out of Egypt. In this chapter, we have him pursuing Israel with a newly heated fury, against all common sense and reason. His malice and rage besotted him, because God intended to destroy him. Though God's hand appeared gloriously for His people before, yet Pharaoh would not see the majesty of the Lord; but he will see it. He gathers all the strength he possibly can, and seems too rash in his way. He overtakes; and he overtakes them in a place of the greatest advantage that could possibly be. For the text says that they were before Pi-hahiroth, in the first verse, between Migdol and the Sea, against Baal-zephon — and that was by God's appointment too.
Migdol signifies a tower; so that, in that place the Egyptians had likewise built a tower. Besides the advantage of the rocks, and of the hills, there was a tower built for their further strengthening. And there the people of Israel were an unarmed people. Not only were they by the Tower, but they were against Baal-zephon.
I remember in the last sermon, I showed you what Baal was, and what several Baals there were that the heathens worshipped for their gods. It is a general name that is sometimes used for any other idol.
This Baal-zephon was a god they worshipped on this ground; they had an idol set in that place, upon going out of Egypt, that was to watch those who were going out. For so zephon comes from zuri
speculatus est — the god who was to watch, who was to stand and watch for any runaway servant, or any people who left Egypt without leave. They were trusting in the Baal, that he would stop them, and keep them; and he was set in that place for that very purpose.
Thereupon, his name was Baal-zephon. By their magic arts, conjurers would have their spells and spirits stop men in such a place, so they won't go out of an orchard, or a yard they enter. So the Egyptians, by their magical arts, had (as it were) a spell there, a Baalzephon, a god to stop people in that place where they would have them stopped. That is the meaning of this name of the idol Baalzephon.
So that, you see what a strait Israel was in upon going out of Egypt.
The sea was before them, the Egyptians had all their strength behind — in a hole of rocks, and a tower, and their god to stop them altogether — so that they themselves made sure of them, and said they were entangled in the land of the wilderness. Being in those great straits, their hearts began to fail them; they began to be extremely troubled, and in a most grievous distemper of spirit. They were coming and chiding with Moses, and said to him in the 11th verse, Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us to die in the wilderness? Why therefore have you dealt this way with us, to carry us out of Egypt? We would rather have continued in Egypt still. What! Brought to these straits! These extremities! Such a perplexity as we are now in! We would to God that we had been in Egypt. This was the baseness of their spirits; they would rather be under vile bondage, than endure any hazard, than to be put to any straits and difficulties. It is the baseness of the spirits of many today among us, because they see that those ways that have been taken by the Parliament bring some trouble from difficulties, some straits.
They cry out about the times. I would to God that we were as before; we were well enough before; we were quiet enough before; we never knew what such stirs as these meant before; but now we are brought into these perplexities. They have brought us into this; and thus they are ready to murmur and repine. Oh unthankful, unworthy generation — men and women of vile spirits who will do so.
It was a speech of Cyrus, speaking to his soldiers. The historian has this expression of his. It is the part of a true valiant man, either to live honorably, or die honorably, as one of them. But that is the part
of a base coward — to be under any base servitude, rather than to be in any hazard of their lives, though perhaps their lives may be saved too. I remember Philo tells us, even of women (for in our times, the public cause of the Kingdom suffers exceedingly by the timorousness 2 of the spirits of women), that being in danger of being brought into bondage by their enemies, they took their children and threw them into the rivers, with these words, You shall not serve; we would rather see you die than be slaves. I don't commend the fact that it was done well, but to show what a spirit the heathen women had to see their children die, rather than have them bond-slaves.
Indeed, what were our lives worth? Were they worth having, if we return to our bondage again? The utmost of the danger is our lives, the killing of our bodies; and yet we hope God will preserve them too.
But suppose the worst, it is but death. But if our lives should not be hazarded now, and if through base cowardice we should decline the cause of God, surely our lives would not be worth taking up. Living in that manner, is to live in bondage to these Cavaliers,3 notorious wretches, blasphemers of God himself, which would make our lives worth very little — no, it is your children perhaps to be brought up in popery, and to hold a candle to a mass priest at the altar. That may be the employment of your children if so be that they live.
But these people [the Israelites], now being in this extremity, and manifesting so much passion, being in a distemper, Moses as the Captain of the Lord, comes to the people and speaks bravely to them, encouraging them. Says Moses, Fear not, but stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. Stand still; the Hebrew word is yatsab — state; it signifies to settle and compose, to be in a settled condition. It is a reflect word upon ourselves; so the learned know that it is to work upon ourselves, to form; it signifies so. It is the same as if he said, Work upon your own hearts, to get your hearts to stand still; work upon your hearts to do that; work arguments upon your spirits, and never stop working until you have wrought your hearts into such a frame that you may stand still, and be quiet. At first, even the dearest servants of God will find their hearts shake in time of hazards and extremities. But once they come to work upon their spirits, to bring arguments to lay to their hearts, they get some advantage there, so that their hearts grow quiet quickly.
For that, we have a notable text in the example of David, in Psalm 62.
David says there, in the 1st and 2nd verses, Truly my soul waits upon God; from Him comes my salvation; He only is my Rock and my salvation; He is my defence, I shall not be greatly moved. Mark that he begins to exercise faith; and he says he shall not be greatly moved, as if he had said, I confess, I cannot say but that my heart is somewhat stirred; I am somewhat afraid, and I feel some working in my spirit. But I hope I shall not be greatly moved. He falls to working more upon his heart, and considers his innocence, and the mischievous device of the ungodly. How long will you imagine mischief against a man; you shall be slain, all of you (v. 3). Then again, in the 5th verse, My soul, wait only upon God, for my expectation is from Him; He only is my Rock. And then he repeats the words again, after he had been rubbing upon his heart the same meditation. Then he fetches the words again that he had in the 2nd verse: He only is my Rock and my salvation.
But mark now, what advantage he gets of himself, in the 6th verse.
He only is my Rock and my salvation, and my defence; I shall not be moved. After he had been working further on his own heart, he then gains and says now, He is my Rock, and my salvation, and my defence; I shall not be moved. I have overcome these distracting fears; I've gotten the advantage and the victory; blessed be God, I have overcome them! God is my salvation and my glory. Now he begins to glory and triumph after he had worked upon himself. So that, in this he did indeed stand still in this phrase, by working upon his own heart. Though he was little stirred at first, yet he got the victory. So indeed, not to be moved, the seventy 4 render this word stand still, stete only.5 Yet in their notes on it, they say it is likewise read stetite; that is, standing fast, or stand fast. It is a word taken from soldiers in their ranks. Soldiers who are in their ranks, when they apprehend danger, know it would cost them their lives to step out of line; they must stand; they must stand still. However much danger there is, they must stand still in their ranks. That is the meaning of the word. I will open more what is meant by the Holy
Ghost by and by, what kind of stand still this should be. But as for this word itself, it is such a stand still as the soldiers have in their ranks, not to go out of their ranks for fear.