1016 Contemplations. L1a.Xli. God will let them fleepo in this confiden.ce; in the morning they flJall find how I A vamly they !1ave dreamed. Now they begm to find they have but oloried in their own plogno,and overthrown nothing but rheirowo ye;~ce. D'l?onbhath an houfe, when God harh bur a Tabernacle;It is nomeafuring ofReligion by outwJrd glory: . Into this houfe the proud Philifiims come, the next morning, to conoratulate unro · · their god,fo gre't a captive, fuch divine fpoiles, and in their early de~otions to fall downe before him,under whom the God of!fraelwas fallen: and loc,where they fi11d their god, fallen downe on the ground upon his face, before him whom they thought both his prifoner and theirs: Their god is forced to doe that, which they !hould have done voluntarily; although God caO: down that dumb •ivall of his for fcorn,not for adoration.Oh ye foolif11 Philiflims,could ye think that the fame houfe could hold God and Dagon ~ could ye think a fenfeleffe O:one,a fir companion and B guardian for the living God~Had ye laid your Dagon upon his face,proO:rate before the Arke , yet would not God have endured rhe indignity oHuch a lodging ; but now that ye prtfume to fet up your carved O:one,equall to his Cherubins,goc reade your folly in the Aoore ofyour Temple, and know thar he which caO: your god fo low,can caO:youlower. The true God owes a flllme to thofe which will be making matches betwixt himfelfe and Belial. But this perhaps was ondy a mifchance, or a neglett ofattendance ; lay to your hands,O ye PhiliO:ims,and raife up Dagon into his place: It is a miferable god that needs helping up;Had ye not beene more fenfelelfe then that llone,how couldyou choofe bur think, How 0Jall he raife us above our enemies, that cannot rife alone~ C How fuall he eflablifl1 us in the O:ationofour peace,that cannor hold his own foot~ IfD:tgon did give the foyle unto rhe God of !frael, whar power is ir, that bath caO: him upon his fotce,in his owne Temple~ It is juO: with God,that thofe which wanr grace,fuallwant wittoo;it is the poweroffuperflitioll,toturnmen into tbofe flocks and !l:oneswhich they worfuip: They that make them are like unto them: Doubtldfe,this firO: fall ofDa~on was kept as fecret, and excufed as well as it might, and ferved rather for aO:onifhment, then conviction; there was more !l:rangendfe then horrour in that accident : That whereas DJgon had wont to O:and, and the Phili- !l:ims falldowne,now Dagon fell down,and the Philiflims O:ood,and mufl beco'"" the patrons of their own god; their god worfltips them upon his faca, and craves morehelp from rhem, rhen ever he couldgive: But iftheir fortifltnelfe can dige!l D rhis,all is well. Dagon is fet in his place,and aow thofe hands are life up to him,which helped to lift him up ; and thofe faces are proO:ratc unto him, beforewhom he lay pro!lrate. Idolatry and fuper!l:ition are not ealily rut out ofcountenance; but will the jealoufie ofthe true God put it up thus~ Shal Dagon efcape withan harmldlHall~Surely,ifrhey had let him lye llill upon the pavement,perhaps thatinfenfible flarue had found no other revenge;but now,they will be advancing it to the rood.Jofr againe, and affront Gods Arke with it,the event will fltame them,and lee them know, how much God [corns apartner either ofhis ownmaking,or theirs. - .Themorning is fitteO: for devotion, thendoe the Philiflims flock to the Temple oftheirgod.What a fu1me is ir for us to come late to ours~ Although not fomuch E piety as curiofity did.now haO:enrheir fpeed, to fee what refl rheir Dagon was al· !owed to get in his owne t:oofe; and now behold their kind god ts come to meet them in rhe way; fome p:eces ofhtm falute thCir eyes upon the threfuold. Dagons head and hands areover.run their fdlowes, to tdl the PhiliO:imshow much they weremiflaken ina god. . . This fecond fall breaks the Idolmpteces, and threats rhe fame confufton to the .vorfl1ippers ofit. Eafie warningsneglected end ever in deflru_tlion.The bead is f~r devifino the hand for execuuon: In thefe two powers of thetr god, dtd the Phthltims chi~Ay uufl; thefe or~ therefore laid under their f<et, upon the thr<fuold, th~t they might afar offfee thetr vamty, and thar (tfthey would) they mtght fee tbetr foot on that be!l: piece oftheir god, whereon their hem was fee. There -----L----------------------------------- --
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