10041 Contemplations. LIB.XI.. I tdbtion : publick accu(ations of authority, argues intolerable extremities of A evil!; 'nothing but age can plead for. ~it, that bee w.as not the fir~ accufer of his Sonnes: nmv, when thc!t enorm1t1cs came to be the voyce of themultitude, 1 he mull heare it perforce; and doabtlefle he heard it with grie!e enough, but. 1 not with anger enough : bee that was the Judge of Ifrael, !hould have urtpartially judged his owne llcfi1 and blood ; never could bee have o.!ferod a more plealing facrifice, than the depraved blood of fo wicked Sonnes. In vaine doe we rebuke thofc !innes abroad, which wee tolerate at home. That man makes himfelfe but ridiculous, that leaving his owne houfe on fire, runs to quench his neighbours. I heard Eli lharpc enough to Anna, upon but a fufpicion offin;& now,how mildc I find him to the notorious crimesofhisoon ?why doeyou[omy[onnesJ It is no good B report; my[om, doe nomore[o: The cafe is altered with thepcrfons. If nature may be allowedto fpeak in judgcmenr,and to make difference, not of!innes, but offenders, the fentence muft needs favour ofpartiality.Had thefe men but fome little fiackened. their duty, or heedlcfly omitted fome rite of the factifico, this ·cenfure had. not bin unfit;but to punilh the thefts, rapins1 facriledges, adulteries, incefis of his lonnes,with wl:r doeye [o, was no other than tojhave diat head, which had dcfervcd i:uttihg off.As it is with ill humours,that a weak dofe doth but fiir, and2nger them, not purge them out; fo it fareth with !innes: An ea!ie reproofe doch bur intourage w ickcdne!fe,and makes it think it fclfcfo fiighr,as that cenC.1re imporrerh. A vehement rebuke to a capitall evil1 is but like a llrong !howre to a ripe field,wbich layes that corn whichwcreworrhyofa lickle.It is a breach ofjuftice,not ro propmrionate c the punifhmcr to·thc offence:towhip a man for.a murder,<>r to punilh the purfc for ~ncell,or toburn treafon in thehimd,ortoawardtheftocks tohurglary,it is to patroniteevil,in ftead ofavenging it: efthe two extr<ms,rigour is more fafe for the publicit wcalc, becaufe tile oveqmnilhing of one offender frights many from linning. It is better to live in a common-wealthwhere nothing is lawful!, thanwhere every thing. · • Indulgent parents are cruel tO'themfelvcs,and theirpofterity.E(y could oothave dcdfed which way to have plagued himfelf,and his houfc fomuch,as brhis kindnes to his childrcns fins. WhatYari~ty ofjudgements doth he now heare of from the m~<fepger ofGod!Firft,becaufe his old al!e (which tlfes to be fubjetl: to choler) inchncd now to nusta\ Out IllS 10lu,tnt:..rcrdte fh'" ....... "--'"'.U -not be an old man left ofhis D boufe for ever:andbecaufe it vexed him not enough to lee Jus •om enemies to God in their profeffion,therefore be fhaj fee h,isenerily in rbe habitation oC•h• LOt<J; (k becaufe himfdfforbore to take vengeance ofhis fons,andefteemcd their life above the glory ofhis Maller,tberfore Godwil revenge himfelfc,by killing.them both in one i:lay ; and b~caufe he ab'!fed his foveraign~y liy connivencc at fin,therefore !hall his houfe be ftnpped oftlm honour, and fee It tranfi34ed toanother;and laftly, becaufe he fuffere<llm fons to plcafc their owne wanton appetite, in taking meate off from Gods tr<ncher,thercfore, thofe which rcmaine ofhis houfe,!hallcome to his fucce!fors, tobeg a peice of !ilvcr, anda morfell ofbreaJ.in a word, becaufe he was partiall to his fonncs, God O>all execute all this fcverely upon him and them. I doe not read ofany fault Ely had, but indulgence; and which ofthe notorious olf~nders E were plagued more? PJrents need no other mcanes to make themmifcrable, than fparing t11e rod. · VVIio filOuld be thebearer ofthefe fearful tidings to Ely,but yong Samuel, whom himfclfhad trainedup?he was now grown pall hismothers coats,fitfor themclfage ' nfGod .OlJ Ely rebuked not hi< yong fons,thetefore yong Samuel is fent to rebuke him.I m and nQt "·hiles the Priefthoodwas focorrupted,lftheWordofGod were precious, if therewere publick vilion; 'It is not tl1e manner of God to gract ' the u~worthy ; The ordinary tninillratiGinin the Temple was too much h~nor {or thofe that robbed the Altar, though tl!ey had ·no extraordinary revelauo11s. Hereupon it was, that. God lets oldEry.neepe (whofiept in his finne.) and a- - wakes
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