Ans. 1 Because of the strangeness of the deliveran'ce. God delivered his people Israel by strange signs and wonders, — by send- \\ig plague after plague upon Pharaoh, — blasting the fruits of the earth, — killing all the first-born in Egypt, Exod. xii. 29. And when Israel marched out of Eg}T)t, God made the waters of the sea to part and be- come a wall to his people, while they went on dry ground ; and as he made the sea a CiUi^eway to Israel, so a grave to Pharaoh
and his chariots. Well might the Lord mention liis bringing them out of the land of Egypt, because of the strangeness of the deliverance ! God MTought miracle upon miracle for their deliverance.
A. 2. God mentions Israel's deliverance out of Egj'^pt, because of the greatness of the deliverance. God delivered Israel from the pollutions of Egypt ; Eg}^pt was a bad air to live in, it was infected with idola- try; the Egyptians were gross idolaters, they were guilty of that which the apostle speaks of, Rom, i. 23., " They changed tlie glory of the incorruptible God into an im- age made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." The Egyptians worshipped in- stead of the true God, First, corruptible man ; they deified their king Apis, forbid- ding all, under pain of death, to say that he was a man. 2dly, They were worslup-
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• pers of birds, tliey worslilpped the liawk. 3dlv, They were worshippers of beasts, they worshipped the ox : thus they made the image of a beast to be tlieir god. 4thly, Tlicy were worsliippers of creeping things, they worshipped the crocodile, and the In- dian mouse. Tlierefore God mentions this as a memorable and signal favour to Israel, that he brought them out of such an idola- trous country ; " I brought thee out of the land of Egypt."
The thing I would note is this. That it is , no small blessing to be delivered from jda- ces of idolatry. God speaks of it no less than ten times in the Old Testament, " I brought you out of the land of Egypt ;" an idolatrous place. Had there been no iron furnace in ILgypt, yet there being so many altars there, and false gods, it was a great privilege to Israel to be delivered out of Egypt. Joshua reckons it among the chief and most memorable mercies of God to Abraham, that he brought him out of . Ur of the Chaldees, where Abraham's an- . castors served strange gods. Josh. xxiv. 2, 3. It is well for the plant that is set in a bad soil, to be transplanted to a better, where it may grow and flourish : so when ,any are planted among idolaters, it is a mercy when they are removed and trans- planted into Zion, where are the silver drops of God's word to make them grow in holiness.
'Quest. Wherein doth it appear that it is such a great blessing to be delivered from places of idolatry ?
Ans. 1. It is a great mercy, because our nature is so prone to idolatry. Israel be- gan to be defiled with the idols of Egypt, Ezek. xxii. 3. Dry wood is not more prone to take fire, than our nature is to idolatry. The Jews made cakes to the queen of hea- ven, that is the moon, Jer. vii. 18.
Quest. Whence is it that we are so prone to idolatry ?
Ans. 1. Because we are led much by \nsible objects, and love to have our sen- ses pleased. Men naturally fancy a god that they may see ; though it be such a god that cannot see them, yet they would see it. The true God is invisible ; tjiis makes the idolater worship something that he m»i^ sec.