IOfO [ontemplationr. Lia.Xlii. He therefore fends hls fonn< laden with a prefent ro Sa11l : The fame God which 1 A called David ro the Courr,welcomes him thither;His comdineffe,valour,andskill havefoone won him favour in the eyes of Sa11l. The giver ofall graces hath fo pia, . ced his favours, th•t the greatefl enemtes ofgoodneffe !hall fee fomewhat in the holieft men,which they 01all aa;ea, and for ~vhich th~y !hall honour the ~tfons of them,whofeverrues th<ydtfltke; as contranly the S:unts on earth fee fomewlrat to love even inth< worfl creatures. Nodoubt David fung to his harpe; his harp was not more !weotthen hi;fona was holy:ThofePfalms alone had beenmore powerful! to chafe the ev·ill fpi~it,the~ the Mufick was to calme paffions; both together gave eafe to Saul; and God gave this effeel:to both, becaufe he would have Saul train up his Succdfor: This facred Mufick did not morcdifpd Satan,then wanton mufick invites him;and.morecheers B him, then us: He playes and danceth at a filthy fong, he fings at an obfcenedance: Our fin ishis bell pallime, whereas Pfalmes, and Hymnes,and fpiritual! Songs are torments unto the Tempter,andMufick to the Angels in Heaven, whofe trade is to fing Allelujahs in the Chore ofglory. DA VI o and Go LIA 11• • Fterthenews ofthe Philiftims Army,! heare no more mentionof s uls frenzy :Whetherrhenoife ofWardiverred thofe thoughtful! paffions, whether God for his peoples fake rook olfrhat evil! fpirit, left Ifrad C · might mifcary under a frantick Governour. No\v David harh leifure to returne ro Bethleem: The glory ofthe Courr cannot trat)fport him to ambitious vanity; He had rather be his Fathers Shepherd, then Sauls Armourbearer : All themagnificence and !late, whichhe fa w, could hot put his mouth aut ofthe tall ofaretired fimplicity; yea rather heloves his hooke thebetter, fince he faw theCourt;and now hisbrethren ferveSaul in his ftead.A goo.d heart hath learnt to frame it ft!funto all conditions, and canchangeeflates withoutchange ofdifpo· fition,rifing and falling according to occafion:The worldly mind can rife eafily,but when it is once up,knowes not how to defcendeitherwith patience,or fafety. Forty dayes together had the Phili!lims and Ifraelites faced each other,they pitchedon two hils,one in the fight ofother,nothing but aValley was berwixtthcm: D Both fiand upon defence and advantaae; Ifthey hai:lnot meant to fight, they had never drawn fo neere; and ifthey hadbeen eageroffight, aValley could not have parted them: Atlions ofhazard require deliberation ; not futy but difcretion mufl be the guide ofWme. So had Iojb11a de!lroyed the Giandy Anakims out ofthe Land oflfrad, that yet fome were lefc in Azzah,Gath,andAlhdod, both to !hew Ifrael, what Adverfaries the;r foref.1thers found in Canaan,and whom theymafiered;asalfo thatGod might win glory to himfe!fby thefe obfequent executions:Ofthat race was Goliah, whofe heart was as high 2s his head, his ftrength was anfwerable to his !lature, hisweapons anfwerable to his !lrength, his pride exceeded all: Becaufe ue faw his head higher,his armes !lronger, his fwordand fpeare bi_.,r, his tbield heavier then any E , Ifrae!ite,be defies thewhole ho!l,and walking between the two Armies, braves all ffrael with achallenge; (Why <rtye cqme out to fit your 6attaii< in .ray? Am not I • Philiflim, And JM Jirv<nts to Sa11l? chooftyou a manfor JPII,Ahd ltt hi'." coml do.vn; to me:give meam<n thaJ '"' may fight together.) Carnal! hearts are earned away wtth prefumption oftheir own abilities, and not finding matches to themfe!ves in outward appearance,infult over the impotency ofinferiors;and as thofe that can fee no invifible oppoGrion,jlfomife themfelves certaintyof fi1cce£f< : Infolence and fdfeconfidence argues the heartto be nothing, but alumpe ofproud flelh. The lirft chalknae ofduel!, that ever we finde, came out ofthe mouth ofan un· J circumcifed Phi!illi'm; yet \VJS that in open war, and tended to the faving of !"any lives,by ad1·cntoring one or two; and whofoever imitateth,. nayfurpaffe~h hun •.n ----'---------~-----~-------~ch._a!Ien.g~ _
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