a 114 Chap.3oi An Expofition upon the Book of Jos. Verf.t 4 Bafeand wickedmen make it their bufenefJe to adde forrow to the forrowfull,and trouble to thole that are troubled. To thruft a man forwardwhen he isgoing downe;to pufh him . on when he is falling, argues avery wicked fpirit. Charity (í1all I fay ) nay, common humanity commands to helpe the diftreffed out oftheir calamities ; what (hail we call it then, which lets for- ward the calamityof thole who are indiftreffe ! How angry was. the Lord in that cafe (Zeph. r. is. ) 1 am very fore diffleafed'. ( faith he ) with the heats,,rn that ere at eafe ; ( men may have much outward cafe under : he fecret difpleafure of God) I am difpleafedand fore difpleafed, why ?for 1 avas but a littledifplea. fed ( with my people, with 'erufalem ) and they helped forward the affl Ilion. As Saul under-aded his Cornmiffion againft Ama- leck, fo the Babylonian over-aded,their Commiffion againff ?errsfalem : God did juflly in fending them, but they didcruelly, and afted their owo malice, not"the deliigneof God , they laid on load. Such is the cruel difpofitionofungodly men toward the people ofGod; if ever they finde God correcting them with cords,they will doe their otmoft co fcourge themwith fcorpions: and whenGod lays his little finger upon them, ifthey can, they will lay their loynes, their Whole weight upon them, they helpe forward the afflìdion. How contrary is the fpirit ofcàrnall men to the mindof God ; if God give them Commiffion to goe forth, and deftroy utterly, to heighten the calamityof his enemies to the utmoft, they will be (paring, they thinke God is too feuere, and they'le take upon them tobe more merciful'. God fent Saulforth, and gave him his Commiffion, (t Sam. 15. 3.) Nowgoe flay Amaleck, and utterly deftroy all that they have, and (pare them not, butflay both Man and woman, infant andTackling, Oxe andfbeepe, camel and afe;He indeed deftroy'd manyofthem,but thought it too much cruelty to (pare none ; He (pared Agag for pity and 'he [pared the fat cattel,as he pretended,for piety, that he might offer them in facrifice to the Lord. He would needs be moremerciful{ then God ; this is the wifdome ofman. So Ahab, aswicked a King as . lived, he would take upon him to be merciful!, when God had no mtnde he fhould (t Kings 20.42. ) he had Benhadad in his power,awicked Prince, andhe was glad ofan opportunity to let him.
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