For lo, they are gone to Egypt, because of destruction

For lo, they are gone to Egypt, because of destruction.

The Prophet speaks here of a thing as if it were done already. Although they were in Samaria, and in the Cities of Israel, yet says the Prophet, Lo, they are gone to Egypt: the wrath of God was too hot for them in their own country, and away they are gone and got to Egypt for a refuge.

Carnal hearts in straits will rather make anything to be their refuge than God. And my brethren, just these for all the world have been (I fear) and it may be yet are the thoughts of many among us; Why, (think they) Ministers of God they threaten judgments, that God has a controversy against us, and we see now some tokens of God's wrath upon us; Well, let the worst come that can, we hope to shift some way or other, we may get into Holland, or Germany, or France, or New-England, if the worst come that can, I hope we may have time enough to get one way or other to make shift to live; and these back-doors that their eyes are upon, have made them less solicitous about, and less helpful in the great things that God calls all with a loud voice to join together with all their strength, that they may deliver their own land from that heavy wrath that hangs over you. Well, notwithstanding men's thoughts are for shifting, it will prove that all will be vain. Says God, You think to shift to this place and the other, you may be disappointed, for Egypt shall gather you, and Memphis shall bury you, my wrath and sore displeasure shall pursue you there. It's a vain thing for men to seek to fly from the presence of God. But certainly in some cases a man may fly from danger: as in regard of men's relations and stations, they see that their work is done in one place, and God by providence opens them a door to another, though not out of distrust, but if when God calls for further work here and there is no door opened by providence, but what's broken open by themselves out of a distrust and slavish fear only to provide for the flesh, I say, such may expect wrath to pursue them wherever they go, their safest places may prove to be their graves, Egypt shall gather them, (that is taken from the gathering of dead bodies) Memphis shall bury them. Memphis was a principal city in Egypt that now is known by the name of Grand Cairo, your merchants and mariners they know that city that here the Holy Ghost speaks of by that name; and then it was called Memphis upon the name as some think of one of the King of Egypt's daughters. A city very famous in Egypt for the pyramids and the kings' sepulchres that were there, and the city that stood very commodious for traffic because it stood upon the River Nile and there was multitudes of streets, I am loath to name you the number for indeed it is incredible, only this thing is remarkable that generally all the streets had at each end of them two gates so that they might be locked up as a tower; and it may be the Holy Ghost may allude the rather to that, in saying, Memphis shall bury you, because every place was shut up, and it's the same city that you read of in the 19th of Isaiah.

Now say they, We will go to Memphis a brave place for traffic, and a very commodious city, a very safe city that has all the streets like so many towers and we will go and help ourselves there. Yes, but Memphis shall bury you says God.

From there the note is, that it's a great affliction to be forced to leave one's own country, and never to return again, but to lay our bones in a strange land. The Lord has sent many of his servants into other countries to live among strangers, some there are that have gone among strangers, yet through God's mercy they have not so gone but God has given them liberty to return again, and though their going has been (as you know) much aspersed of late, yet when more weighty work may give leave I make no question but you will be fully satisfied so as you shall acknowledge a special hand of God even in their going. But here specially the Jews did account it a great misery to die out of their own land. Buxtorfius in his book called the Jewish Synagogue, relates such a tradition that the Jews have, they do believe that the resurrection at the great day shall be at Jerusalem of the Jews, that wherever any of the Jews have lived and died, yet they shall rise up at Jerusalem, therefore when many of them that lived a great way off did begin to grow old they would leave their station and go as near to Jerusalem as they could: for this is their tradition, that their bodies shall come through passages of the earth all along to Jerusalem, and that they may prevent the trouble of coming so far under the ground, therefore they remove their dwelling to dwell near Jerusalem. And this is the vanity of spirit that they are left to. But though that be a vanity, yet certainly it's an affliction to any to be out of their own country, and there to live and die; but if it be a great evil to fly from one's own country for fear of destruction, and to have the place they fly [illegible] be made as their grave, what a great evil is it then for men merely out of love for advantage to leave places where before they did or might enjoy communion with the saints, to leave the ordinances of God, to go into other places among Papists, and Heathens where they cannot have the freedom of God's worship? Now such as these are should find these places to be labyrinths of miserable perplexity to them, it is just with God it should be so, seeing they out of love to gain would thus venture themselves, and therefore let men take heed of this how they go upon any private respects from places where God's worship may be had to places where they cannot enjoy it. It follows.