[onte111plation1 J 1 ~, .. L.r B. XI ~ f J' ZikjtJg /}oiled and rwengeJ. tr Ad not the Kingofthe Phili~ms fentJia'~>~i4 ~way ea;ely Ws Wivrs and his peopl~ and fubftance, which he lefqt Z.iklag, hacl'been uctedy loft ;_N<;nv ~~hifo did notmore pleafuit:Pa-vid in his emertaidmentJ r_hen mh1s difimffion,Sa!'/was not Dav tds enemy ll)O!e in the perfecu• uon ofh1s perfon, then mthe forbearance9f Gads enemies 1 Behold I thus latedotbDailid feele the fmart,of Sduls fin, infparingthe Amalekires: )V~o1 · 1fGods f<:nrence had hemduly executed, had nor now·furvwedj t9 annoy rhis pat! cell oflfrad. . , : B As i.nJpirituall refpe6ts ourfinne• ar~·alwaye• hu~ffl.ll to our fdv~s, fo in tempo. rallo~,pm~p(ejudiciall to pofterity1 Awicked man defen·es.ill oftbofe,he 1\"V~r lived \O fee. r ,._ '., ,, , I cannot marvell atthe Amalekitc:&nffiult made upon the Ifraelitej ofZil<,lag ; I canno1but marvel! at their clemeney' hPiv ju(t w~~it,cbat while DIVI!id would giVt: aid to the enemies ofthe Church;againft Ifrael, rhe enemies ofthe Church lhould rife •gainft .David,in his peculiar chargeoflfrael: .I) ut whiles D•-tJid roving againfb the Amalcl:ites, not many d~yes before, left ncithe{ man b<>r voman alive, how ftrangd~ it, chat the Amalekires inv.Wng and f~tpriziog Ziklag, (io revenge} kill neithet\man notwoman ~ Shall,we f~y charmercy i~~ from ~ l)reafts of !froelires, and rd4 in HeathenS'! Or fi1all we r.athenafq,ipo rhis 1ta rbe.gracious;e~ <; ftraint 1:\~ God, who having deftgned.Am!ltk·to t]!Filaugbrer of If1ael, and nor lfr~d ro 1he fiaoghter of ~m•ltk, moved the hand~ oflfrael,and held the bands of Am•ltk ; Thi.~ was tha~ alpne, rhar madet~e Hear)lc;os rake up-;with an unbloudy revengM b~l1\l!lg onely the walls, and leadmg •Y'tJ ~he perfons.flfrael croffed the' revealedwill-ofGod in fparing Amalek ,; ~nMi(k tu)fill~ t\le f~cret. will ofGod io fpariog If~a~l. , , , . ItW3$llill the lot of Am•ltk, io rake.Jfraelat nll3dvantages ;· upon their firft commingput of.Egypr, whenrhey wereweary, weak;and unarmed,rhen did Am,._ ltk aff.1ulr them 1 And'now,whenone parr oflfrael was in the field againft the Philiftims,~nother was gonewith the PhilillimsagainftIfrad;the Am.illekires fer upon theCoaftsofboth ; and goaway laded with rhefpoile: Noorhe( i,l. to be expelled D ofour fpjrituall Adverfari«s, who are ever reodielho affaile, when we are the unreadiefttodefend. It w.as a ,wofullfpetlade for D•vid and his Soldiers,upontheir return to find ruines and ~(he~ in l!e":ldofhoufes1 and in !leadoftheir Families,folirude 1 Their City was va!Jilhedjntofmoke, their houlholds into captivity; neither could they know who IT) rq ~<;mfe, orwhere to enquire for redreffe ; w)liles they made account that their home lhould recompence their tedious joum~ with comfort, the mi!erable defolat.i;ln o(rheir home,doubles the difcomforr oftheir journey ; what remained therebu_oteares and lamentations ~ They lifted up their voyces, and wept,rill they could weep qomore. Herewas plenty ofnothing bur mifery and forrow.The ha rt ofe,v,erY,I:fcpe\irewas bri111-full ofgriefe1Davitls ran over;for beftdes.rhat hisc1offe E was,the.f~l11~ with rheirs,all theirs was his alone; ~ach manlookr onhis fellow asa part!ler ol affiiC\ion,bur every one lookr upon David as the caufe pfall their affii~- · on; and (as common difplea[ure is never bur fruitful! of revenge) they all agreer'1 !lone him as theAuthor oftheir undoing,whom they followed ~l,l1his whila,as the hopefullme>nes ofcheiradvance~ents. . . . • ·' . . , Now D•vidJ loffe IS h1s leall:gnefe; ne1rher (as 1f every dung hadconfptred to torment him) can he look belides the aggravation of his forrow and danger ; SaNl and hisSoldiers had hunted him our of Ifrael; the Philill:im-Courriers had hunted him from the favour of Achtjh; the Amalekiresfpoiled him in Zikbg ; yet all rhefe are ealie Adverfaries in colflparifon of hisown ; his ownfollowers are fo far from pityina his participationofthe lolk, that they are ready to kill him, becaufe they b =
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