grounds againf unfeafonable mourning: 6. Child maylive ? A man may wonder if he read the former pact of the Chapter, whence this perfwafion and hope (hall come into the 'heck of David, that there fhould be a polfbility of having the life of this Child by his Prayers, whereas the Lord had faid before byNathan to him, That the Child fhould die. Nathan had cold him in exprefs terms that the Child Ihould die, yet he putterh uphis Prayers for it, rind laid, Whoknowetb whether the Lordwill begracious to me, that the Child may five. we mull know therefore that God fometime, even in thole fentences that Item ab- Gods abfohte fólute, implies, and intends a condition. David had refpeét to fuch a courfeas God fennee im- ordinarily rock : He knew well that God at other times had chreacned things, yet plies te conditi- neverchelelsupon theRepentance, and prayers, and Tears, upon the Humiliation, and on. Contrition of the hearts of his Servants, he hath been pleafed to alter the fentence, co fufpend ; nay, ( is may be) wholly to take away and change theExecution. Thus it bathbeen ; It wasfo in thecafe ofHezekiah : The Lord fent as exprefs a Meffage by rfaiab the prophet to Hezekiah, as he did by Nathan to David : Set thy baufe IIa,3S, in order, for thou (halt die and not lire. Yec neverthelefs Hezekiab turneth his face to the wall, he wept, and laid open his Requeft before the Lord : Remember - now, oh Lord, Ibefeech thee, how Ihave walked before thee, in Trnth, and ¡Pith a perfel! heart, &c. Y fee, the Lórd prefently fendech the Prophet to tell him, that he had added ffteen years to his life : And yet the Meffage was carried in exprefs words, and in as peremptory ttrms,as a man would have thought it had been abfolute, and no condition intended. The like in the cafe of Niniveb. 3onab cometh to tniveb, and began to enter bash 3,4 the City, à dayes journey, and be tried, and faid, Tee ferry dam, and Niniveb I (hall be defíroyed. Here was the time limited, the Judgment declared, and no condition exp.ea: Yet the King of Niniveb bumbletb him/elf, and the people, they Fall and Pray, and go in Sack-cloth,&c. And the Lord was pleafed toalter this Sentence. But force will fay, there Examples were after David's time , What were thofe to him ? Upon what ground did he take this courfe t Had he any Promife or Ex- ample before time of any fuch thing as this, that did give him Incouragement to Fait and Pray , in hope that though Gad had Paid the Child fhould die, yet it (hall live Certainly David had Examples before time of the like nature, when God had threatned Judgments, and they did not know, whether the iffue would prove or no as they &fired, yet they fought God. As in the cafe of Saul. When the LordCent an exprefs Meffage by Samuel, that the Kingdom fhould be taken from r Sankt; him and given ro another, becaufe he had not dealt Faithfully in the Execution of God's Command, concerning almaleck, yet faith the Text, Samuel mourned for Vede 3S. Saul (fill. Infomuch as the Lord queaioneth him; Hair long wilt thou mournfor Sant , feting I have rejetled him from raigning over Ifrael : Yet Samuel Ch'ap,ra.i. continued in feeking sod : As if he (hould fay, Who knoweth what the Lord will do? But more exprcflyDavid had Examples before his time, not only of feeking the Lord, but of a gracious fuccefs, and anfwer that thofe had that fought him, As inthe cafe of the ifraelttes, when there was a difcontent atryóng the people, becaufe of the ill report, that the Spies put upon the good Land, the people began now to murmure againff God : Well (faith the Lord to Mofes ) let mealone, and / will de- Elroy this people at once. Mofes fetteth himfelf to leek the Lord, andprayeth, and Nup1''4' preffeth the Lord with manyArguments, for his own glory,for his peoples fake; for his Covenant fake, and many other ways codfpare them. What was the iffueof it ? He was heard, the Lord cold him that he had heard his Prayer, and grantedhis Requef}, Though hewould fillthe Earthwish bi.glory,and all the World fhouldknow what a jealóusGod he was,another way ; yet in this particular he had grantedhis Requea, theyfhould not becut off at this time. So that David- had good Experience, that though judgment hac) been threatned before, yet neverthelefs courte, have been taken, that the Sentence hath been altered,
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