L iB.XII. 'lhe Jlr~and'Dagon. A 1 There was nothingwherein thar Idol refembled a man,bur in his head and hands: rhe refl was but a fcaly portraiture ofa fifl1;Godwould therefore fepJ<ate from this flone, that part wh1ch had mocked man, with the counrcrf~lt oflumfdfe,rhar man I . might fee what an unworthy lumpe he !.ad marched wah hunfdf,and fer up above himfelfe:The juflquarrellofGod is bem upon rhofe means,and that parcel! which havedaredro rob him ofhis glory. How can the Philiitimsnow miffe the fight ofrheirown folly~ how can they be but enough convitled ofrheir mad idobtry,.ro fee their god lie broken to moriels, underrheir feer~every p1ece whereof proclauns the power ofhun that brake lt,and the llupidiry ofrhoferhar adored it. Who would expeel any otheriffueofrhis act, burro heare the Pl\l•'s fay,We now fee how fuperflition harh blinded us~ Da· B gon is no god for us,~eans fln.ll never more rcll: upon a bro~en ftarue:Thlt onely rrueGod,which harh bearen ours,fl1all challenge us by the nghrofconque!l:bur here was none ofrhit ; rather a further degree of their dorage foilowes upon this palpable convitlion :They cannot yet fufpetl that god,whofehead they may tra~ pie upon, bur in flead of hating their Dagon, 'that lay broken upon their threlhold, they honour thethrelhold, on which DJgon lay, and dare not fer their foot on rhar place which wa• hallowed by the broked head and hands oftheir Deirie. Oh the ob!linacie ofldolatr)',which where it bath got hold ofrhe hearr,knowes neither to blu£l1.nor yedd,but rarhergl<hers !lrength from tharwhich mighrjullly confound it !-Thehand of the Almighty, which moved them not in f:tlling upon rhdrgod, fJi s nO\_Y neertT them upon their ptrfons, and fl:rikes them in their bodic:-s, which C J would not feelerheu&hoes !lricken in their Idol : Paint fl!lll humble them whom !hame cannot.Thofe which had entertainedthe fecrer thoughts ofabominable idolatrie within rhem , are now plagned in the inwarddl and mo!l fecret plrtofrheir I bodi~s, with a loarhfome difeafe ; and now grow 1~eary ofthemfelves, in flead of • rheit 1dolarry. I doe not hear< them acknowledge 1t was Gods hand , whtch had : firicken Dagon theirgod,rill now,they find rhemfdves firicken : Gods judgements are the rack of godlelfe men ; Ifoneftraine make them nor confelfe, let them be flrerched bur one wrench higher,and they cannot be filent. The juct avenoer offin will nor lofe rhe glory ofhis execurions,bur will have men know from whom they fmart. The Emerods were not adifeafc beyond thecon:paffe ofnaturall caufes,neirher D was it hard for the wifer fo",ro give a roafon ofrheircompbint, yet they afcribe it ro the hand ofGod : The knowledge and operation ol fec~ndarr caufes flwuld be no prejudice ro the firfl; They are worfe then the Phili!lims, who when they fee the means,d0enor acknowledge rhe fir!l Mover; whofeaaive and ju£1 power is no leffe feen in imploying ordinary agents, then in raifing up extraordinarie: neither doth he ldft: ftnite hy acommon fc:ver,rhen :1 revenging Angel. Th~y judge right ofrhe caufe, what doe they refolve for the cure~ (Let not the Arkc of the Godofifrael abide with us)where they fl1ottld have faid, Let us call our Dagon, that we may pacifie aod retain the God of lfrael: they dettrmine to rhru£1 omtheArk ofGod,rhar they might peaceably enjoy themfdves,andDagon. Wicked men are upon all occafionsglad to be rid ofGod, but they can with no paE rience endure to part with their fins; and whiles they are weary ofrhe hand tharpunifileth rhem,they hold fa£1 the caufeoftheir punifl1menr. Theirfirfl and ondy care is to puraway him, who as he bath correGled, Io can cafe them. Folly is ne1·er feparared from wickeclneffe. Their heatt told rhemthat they had no right ro rhe Ark. A Cou,ncel is called of their Princes &Priefls.Jfthey had refolved ro fen:! it home,rhey had done wifely; Nqw they do not carry it away,but they carry it about from Ebenezer to A01dod, from Afi1dod to Garh,from Gath to Ekron: Their flomackwas greater then their • confcience;The Ark was too fore for them,yer it was too good for Ifrael;and they will rather die then make Ifrael happie. Their conceit, that the change 6f ayre could appeafe the Arke , God uferh ro his owne advanrage; for by this meanes his po"'er is knowne, and his judgement fpred over all the country ofthe Phi!i. ftims: 1017
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