Sermon 8. of the Go \VRI E s. with others, is curfing-timewith them. When liebleft o:hers, to curfe them,and that here onhistlwh-bed! For, themifeofthe death-bed 1sofallotherrhe worfi: fuch ~sar; fo curfed, fome evill will c~me to them. _ _ _ , . , Yet fomewhat to cafe lt. TillScarfe (tfyou marke 1t) IS not on thetrper{ons:rheir atltre as men is notcoucht; but onlybyreftexionupon their affi8ionofAnger.And ~er, n~t onth~t neither (For, there is good ufe of them alfo: for, ~ne may _be angry t111dji 11 me not.) Bm, as tt was tranfcendent, too much and too long; paft the bounds Ephef.p6; of all reafonandmoderation. And this was theirptmijhwmt{pirituaU. , M aledi8~~>, ihat goes to thefac7: Difperg_am to thetr p_erfon~; whtch !1edenoun- • A.l)ifp"gam . cetb !hall fall upon them; And,he doth not thts by way ot Prophecte, they jh.tt be di- to the P"f•••· videdandfcattered: but pronounced it by wayoffentenu. Not, it jhallbe done: but , hewilldoe it himfelfe. It fhould be hisowne act, and he would never leave it, till he fee it put in execution. And, though it were not done in his time, yet it was as good as done; as certaine and Cure ,as if, arthat time, it had had the performance. You inay referre Dividam to Sime.n,and difpergam toLevi. Simeon was dividul into peeces: Apeece,iniudah; 2 peece,inDan; a peece, iri Moum Seirofthe Amale– lites. Levi was [.:atteredhere and there, up and downc in every corner ofthe Land. Or (if you will referre it to both ; ) they werediviaed,while lacob continued a[ami– ~: they were difper{ed, when they after came to be aState. And (ifyou marke) the punifhment is very proper,and well proportioned to rlie fault. Thefault was a bad tmio'n: theirpunijhment is a jr~fl divifton. Their fault was h.ndin hand,they were too neere: their punia1ment is,they lhal be ferfarre enough a– Junder, forraking any fuch cotm{elt more. So, whom the divelt hathjoyned, Go oputs in[under. And, a righteous thing it is, it lhould fo be. For, prmijhments lhould have ·in them the nature ofamedicine: They, cure (ever) by contraries: Heat, by cold; drougbt,by moijf11re. Even as thisdoth; anevil! joyningbyajuft di{perjion. There was great wifdome in thispunifhment. _For, them that be evill, ifwe de– jlroy them not,we mH!l: take order to weaken them: and tofeparate them, is to wea. ken them. Vnited force is the ftronger; dif-rmited, theweaker ftill. Vndoe thefaggot• bMd, and when theJlickes be fevered, you lhalljlic/ubyJlicke, deale with them, and keepethem under. Ajlickewill eafily be broken ;afaggot will not. So as, to{clttter tllem, is to weaken them. ' And fo to be, is good for Simeonand Levi themfelves.lt takes from them, habi– lity_to ~oe hurt:pmstheir nailesl breakes off their horim, doth them ,good againft their wtlls. For,tfthe worftcome to the worft, they can hurt butfingly or by one. And therefore we fay; Confultr~m eft malis, ut a focii> dividantur: they that areill af-: fected,it is good for them and their fellowes, to bep11t afimder. And, ifitbcgood for them; cerrainely,forthe other Tribes,mucbmore: They !hall all live the more quietly. For, if thefe two lhould frill conrinuetogetber,they might die fooner, the mote eafily, againc in like fort combine, and confederate themfelves together againft the other Tribes; if they gave them bur thcleaft oc– cafion. Now, they !hall beefo fcattered, and fer, where they !hall doe no great ~armeany more : as no more rbey did. And fo, as.it was good forrbem, fo wee fay, Confultum efl Reipu6tit£ tit dividd!ltlr focii ad malttm; Good for the Common– 'llle./th, ifany be that way given, toremove them either from other at leafr. So, they theweaker,and the reft the fafer. But (cattering will not alwayes ferve: for, even fo•ttered, Come doe mifchiefe enough. And therefore, it is as good policie, to coope them up, if fcattering they doe harme ; as it is, to (catter them, ifthey prove the _IVorfeforbcingtogether. _ Tofpeake a little of theg;ievoufnefTe of thepunifbment: thefe degrees are in it. Thegrievouf< 1 Firft, it '?ncludcs thedi(perjion ofthem,the Joffe ofhaving any lot at al,l of inh~ri- ;Z~ijb!!~ lance ofthm owne, asthe reft oftheTribes had. It kills not the men,but itpuisdowne '. Dif-imw". thetr wall, and !ayes themr~ theCommon, wherein every man bad as much right, as 1 '"l·. they• And fure, ~o o ofHts goodnefTc, not intending ro pro~eed che wayH1mfelfe · ~-I h h h 4 haq
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