IC05/ [ontemplationr. LIB. XI. lfraclites eare ihould tingle to heare of~ when it fhou!d be done;old E/i hears with A an nnmoved patience, and humble fubmt!lion, It« the Lord, let /Jim doe w!Jat [eemetb j h:m.~ood. 0 admirable fatrh, andmore than humane conftancy and refolution,worthy ofthe aged prelidcnwfShilo, worthyofan heart f~crificed to that God,whofe I JU!bce had refufed toexptate Ius ftnne by facnfice! It e/, havebeen an ill Father to his fonnes, yet he is a Eood fon to God,andis ready to kiffe the •ery rod he fh~ll 1 fmart withall ; It is t he ord w horn I have ever found holy, and juft,and religious and he cannot but be himfclfe; Let him doewhat feemeth him good; for what~ ever feemcth good to him,cannot but be ~ood; howfo<!ver it feemes to me: Every man can open lm hand to God whtle he leffes; but toexpofe our felves willingly to the allliCI:ing hand ofour Maker, and to knee le to him while he fcourges us is peculiar oncly to the fatthful. . ' B lfeveragoodheartcould have freed a man from temporall punilhments, eli muft needs have efcaped: Gods anger was appeafed by his humble repentance but his juftice mull be fatisfied: Elies fin and his fonnes, was in the eye andmouth ofall Ifracl; his therefore lhould have been much wronged by thetr impunity. Who would not ha• e made thefe fpirituall guides an example of lawlefnefie, and have faiJ, What care I how I live, if e/ies fonnes ~oe away unpunifhed 1 As not tLe tcares of Eli,fo not the words of Samuel may 11 tothegto~nd: We may not mcafurc the difpleafure ofGod by his !tripes; many times, after the remiffion of the linnc, the very challifements ofthe Alm1h~ are deadly: No repentance can aflitrcus that we lhall not fmart with out1var a iCI:ionsj That can prevent the erernall difpleafure ofGod,but I\ ill it may be neceffary an Yood we fhou!d be cor- c reCI:ed: Our care and fuic muft be, that the evils which fha I not be averted, may be fanCI:ified. · If the prediCI:iont>f thefe evilswere fearefull, what fhall the execution be I The ~rcfumption ofthe ill-tau~ht Ifraelites fhall ~iveoccafion to this judgement; for emg fmitten before the P 1iliftims, they fen for the Arke into the field. Who gave them authority to command the Arke ofGod at their plcafure I Herewas no confulrin~with the Arke which theywouldfetch; no inquiry of Samuel, whether ~hey fhou d fetch it;but an heady refolution of prefumptu?u~ Elders to force God mto the field, and to challenge fucceffe. If God were notwttb the Arke, why did they fend for it, and rejoyce in thecommingof it? IfGodwere with it, why was not his allowance asked, that it fhould come? How can the people be good, where D the Prieftsare wicked ? When till: Arke of the Covenant of the Lord of Hofis that dwcls betweene- the Cherubins, was brought into the Hoft ( thou~b with meane and >Yicked attendance) Ifraeldoth (as it were) fill tlte heaven, an fhake the earth with flwurs; As if the Arke andviCtory were noleffe unfeparable, than they and their fins. Even the !ewdefi menwil be looking for favour from that God, whom they cared not to difpleafe, contrary tothe confcience of their defervings. Prefumption doth the fame in wicked men, which Faith doth in the ho!iefr. Thofe that regarded not the God of the Arke, thinke themfelves fafe and bappy in the Arke of God: Vaine men arc tranfported with a confidence in the out-fide of Religion, not regarding the fub!hnce and foule of it, which onely can give them true peace. Ill ut ratlicr than ~od will humour fuf;cr.ftition in If.. E raelites, hewill fuller his owne Arke to fall mto the hands of Pht tfttms : Rather will he fcem to flacken his hand of[,roteCI:ion, than hewill be tho~ht to have his hands bound by a formall mifcon dence; ~he flaughter of the I rae!itcs was no plague to this. le w.s a greater plagqe rather to them that lhoul~ furvtve, and behold it. The two fonnes of eft, wluch had helped to corrupt theu brethren, dte by the hands ofthe11ncircumciihl, '!nd are now too late feparated from the Arkeof Godby Philiftims,which fhould havebeen before feparatcd by their Father: They . had lived formerly to bring Gods Altar into contempt, and now live to carry h~s I Arkeinto captivity : and at !aft, as tbofe tbathadmade"V the meafureof th<tr w ickednelfe, are flaine in their fin. • lll
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