L lB. XII I. DAVID and GoL 1 All, A rhe reft; heexpected fome fterneface,and brawnyarn.e; young and ruddy Daviil isfo f.me below his rhoughrs, that he receiv<s rather contempt, then thanks: His I words were ftout, his perfon was weak: 3aul cloth not more like his refolution, then di!lruft his ability : (TIJOt< art not ahte to goe again }I thii Philsflim to fight with him ; for thcr~A.rt ~boy_~ ~nd.he is .a man ofiVarrtfrom hisyauth.) Even S11ul feconds , Eliab in the concert ot tl11sdrfpanty, and tf Eilab fpake out of envy, Saul fpeakc':'s our of judgement;both judge (as they were judged ofJ bythe ftamre: All this can1norwe:tken rhat heJrt,which receives his ft:rengrh from tJirh: Dav1ds greardl con. ' Aict iswith his friends; The overcommingoftheir dilfwalions, that he might fighr, :was more worke, then to overcome his enemy in fighting; He muft firft jutlifie his 1 firen9th to Saul, ere he may prove i• upon Goliah: Valour is never made good but B by tryall; He pleads the nyall ofhis puilfance upon the Beare and the Lion,thathe may have leaveto prove it upon aworfe beafl rhen they; Thy jirvantflew both rhu I Lyon and the Btarr,thmfortthii uncirwmciftd PhiltflimjhaU bt ,u OJit ofthem. Experience ofgood fuccelfe is no fmall comfort to the heart, tbis gives poffibility and' I hope,but no certainty;Two things therewe.te on whichDavidbuilt his confidence, onGoliahi finne,and Gods dehverance,(Sm•g ht hath ratledon tht ho.ft ofthe ltvmg God.- Tht Lord thM delivmdmtout ofthe pawn oftht Lyon a11dtht Btdre,hcwi/1 delzverrmout ofthe hand •f thii Philijlim.) Well did Davidknow, that ifthis Philifiims •kinhad been as hard as the brafle ofhis lhield, his linwould make it penetrable by every !lroke. After all brags ofmanhood he is impotent,that bath provoked God; Whiks other h bour for outward fortification,happy and fafe were we,ifwe could C ' labour for innocence. He that hath found God prefcnt in one extremity, may tru!l: him in the next; Every fenlible favour ofthe Almighty, invites both his gifts and our rruft. ·Refolution thus grounded,makes even &Ani himfdf, ·onfident;P•vid lhall have both his leave and hisble!ling; lfZ>avid came to Sat~l, a, ; Shopheard, he /hall aoe toward Goliah as aWarriour;Themireofthe King is not too rich for him that fua!l fight for his King and C ountrey : Little did S aul think, that his helmetwas now on rhathead,which 010uld oncewearehiscrowne: Now that David was arrayed in thewarlike habit ofaKing,and girded \Vith hls fword, he lookt upon himfelfi', and thought this ourfide glorious; bur when he.offi'edto walk,and fot\nd rhatthe attire was notfo ftrong,asunweeldy,and thammtght be md« for lhew,thenufe,hdayes D flown thefe accouC\remems ofhonor, and as caring rather to be an homely vielor, then aglorious fpoile,he craves pardon togoein no clothes,but his owne; he rakes his ftaffe infiead ofthe fpeare,bis lhepheards fcrip in!l:ead ofhis brigandiae,and \nCleadofhis fword he takes his fling, and inflead ofd;rrts and javelins, he takes five fmooth ftones out ofthe brook:Let Sauii coat benever fo rich,and his armor never fo ftrono,what is David the better,ifrhey fit him not~ It is not to be enquired how excdlc;, any thing is,buthow proper: Thofe things which are helps to fome, may be encombrances to others:An unmeet good m:ty be as inconveniem,asan accu!lo~ med evil! :Ifwe could wilh another mans honour, whenwe feele the weight 6fhis care•,wefuould beglad tO be in ourowncoat. Thofe that depend upon the ftrength ofFaith, though they neglett not meanes, E yet they are hot curious in the proportion of outward meanes to the el!ect defiled: Where the heart is armed with an alfured conlidence, a fling and a !lone are wea· pons enow; totheunbeleeving no helps are fufficient: Goliah, though·he.were prefumptuous enough,ycr had one lhield carried before him, another he carried on his lhoulder;neither will his fword alone ~omenr him,but he takes his fpeare too. Davidt armour is his plaint fuepheards rulfet, and the brooke yeelds him his artillery, and he knows, there ts more fafety m hts cloth, then m the others l:ita!fe ; and m6te d:inger in his peebles,then the othersfpeare. Faith gives both heart and armes,The inward munition is fo much more noble, becaufe it is ofproofe for both foule ancl body : Ifwe be furnifl1ed with this, how boldly /hall we meet with the powers of darkneffe,and goe awal:' more then conqueror• ~ Neither dtd the qualtty of D•vid, weapons bewraymore confidence, then the .. number
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