• ~tStliifltt; The \VOfds are (inHe~rew) of the nature of aProvtrie; and ~red by them,- , ··. :By-word, upon the defeat1ng ofany plot. Not, every defeating i but then 'h 35 a plot is cunningly contrived, andclofcly followed, and is neere brought to~~ en~ point rohedone, yet not done though; bur defeated, even then: theb, take thevery thlsProvei:beandfay,Venmmt,&c• . , · . yup And, two wayes cake they it up, thereafter as the d:figne i.s: Ifitbe bad,yetwdl layed, and well feconded~ and for all that, in the end d1fappomted; then utter they ittheeteful!y, Aha,t'hcch:ldren,.&c; buca~ G eh> wonld,&.c. byway ofgwut 4 : tion. But,1fgood, and for a 'Yh1le.come fa1rely forward,but mthe end prove tono. thing; then take they it up, wtthajigh, a!ti< the children, &c. , It cannot be, denied, ?ut goodKing Ezelciah, whofe the words are,lpakethem here in fome gmfe. Gnefe, two wayes; for 1 firll:, grieved he was to hearehow Jl.a6falceh had raged aAd raved, and fpewed out moll: horrible blafpbernies. Faine would he,he and hismen,racherthan their lives have beene at him for it. They were even great with this (as it were) and the 'children Cime..to the hirtk; But tlilirJlrength fetvcd them not, they dur!l: not give him aword, for feare ofa further mifchiefe if they lhould provoke him; Now, there is no more hard and grievous cafe inth~ world, than when a man !hall be forced to heare 6!Afjheming, and not beincafeto anfwer it hom~. . •But,theKingofAjbur(his M4fer) was not far off, w!chhisforces ·but at the liege ofLibna (not pall: a dozen mileoff;)that Towne,notliketohold o~tlong,and then.have at Ierufalem, and they (Go o wore) but mcanely provided eo welcome him. Biit apoore remnant, .to fo h.uge an Holl:; So huge, as with their very feet 'l"crre •5; i they driedup rivers, as they went. Non irlinl vires,\vastheircaferight;and this was here a fecond griefe. , E[,y G•.4: Etek.>l·l6· HoCz.6. l!flJ47 •• . Vc!~c~~· For the wo~ds, though they found, as ifthe' fkeene, .or fome great Lady, were in child-birth, yet no fuch matter. Afl'is fpoken byAUegorie; and no wQmAn, but theStateof theKingdome, here meant. • And it is no new thing to fee forthStatu bywomen. TheProphets doe it oft:Ef•JI Hephji6~t; EzekielsAh~la,andAholib.e; Hofle's Lomhamah,alllhew it. Nothing more common with them, than the Dat1gbter of BaPet for theSt.tie of chechald.eans; the Daughter ofSionfcr the Stdte ofthe!ewes, . And not to womenonely, but towomen with childe;; thenfpecially, when there Comes any lhrewd plunges upon an Ejiate. Filia Sion quaji parttlriens (Hof.4·1Z·) Sion u ready to cry ollt, in the Old: And,in theNew, the Church(then) hard be/lead, hpoe, ,,,,; is reprefentedby aWM;an ready to fall in Labour (Apoc.u.u.) And Stares, whea they would be delivered of ought (would,and cannot) as it werethe throwesofcMd– birth feeme cobeuponthem; andthisProverl)e, then ndt unfitlyappliedrothem; Yenemnt,&c. AWoman, her time is come, and ll:rivesto bring forth, and cannot, not having Gen.lf·• 6 > 1 7 flrength for it; chis(we know)is a cafe of great extremity: we know it by RAchll ' 5 am' 1 '''' (Gtn.35·) by Hophnies wife(r Sam+) both :-vhich were inthec~fehere;atth~ polnt to bedelivered; andwanredjlrength, and 1t coil: them both thetr liVes. Now, as when awuman is fo, all about her are at their wits end; kno1vnotwhat to doe,orwhitherto tm'ne themfelves: No more did Ezd:ia~ ;but evencurncs to the Prophet Efay : (as, at fuch times, Prophetdhall have their turnes; not oft, be!ides:) To him cheyfendfor Levaorationem: Lift up thy prayer ;Prayer, now: for,bu~m prayer, nohelpeis left; ifthat relieve us not, we are gone. ThisfpakethenEze tAS ingriefe. . h . Itarieves me on a day ofjoy, ro hold you fo long in apoint offorrow; but,t c turningallinto prefentjoywill make amends. To that, I come. , , This,forrhe prerent,wascheircafe; but this was not their cafe, long. For, WlthiR. a while after, before the end ofthe Chapter, thevery fame words, by the vecr/~me perfons, were (o~ .~ight ~a\:'e ~eene)takcnup, ina farreather, more)oyfuTh~;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=