1o8:z. Contemplations. L1a.XIV. whether they might by him receive any light in their purfuit,they refre01 his dying I A fpirits with Bread and Woter,with Figs •nd Raifins; Neither can the ha!leoftheir way bee any hinderanc~ to their compaffion : Hee hath no Ifraelitilhbloud in him that i~ utterly mercildfe ;Perhaps yet Davids followe~s might olfo, in thd1ope of ' fome mtelhgence, 01ew kmdnefi~ to this forlorn Egypuan. Worldly wifdome teacheth us,co fow finall courtefies,where we moy reap largeHarve!ls ofrecompence: No fooner are his fpitits recalled, then he requites his food with information. 1 cannot blame the Egyptian, thot he was fo eafily induced to defcry thefe unl<inde Amalekites, tO·morcifull Ifratlites;thofe that gavehimover untodeath,to the re!lorers ofhis life1much lelfe,that ere he would defcry ihem,he requires anoath offecurityfrom fo bad a ma!ler;Well doth he match death with fuch a fervitude:Wondeifull is the ProvidenceofGod,even over thofe,that are not in the nearo!l bonds B his own. Threedaies,and three nighrs, had this poore Egyptian Slave !yen fick and hunger-!larved in the fidds,and looks for nothing but death,when God f~nds.him fuccour from the handsofthofe Jfraelites,whom hehad helped to fpoile,though not fo much for his f.1ke,as for Ifraels,is this hearhenilh Stragler pteferved. It pleafes God to exrend his common favours to all his creatures; butin miraculous prefervations, he bath !lill wont to have refpeet to his owne. By this meanes therefore, are the Jfraelites brought to the fight of their late fpoilers ; whom they finde fcattered abroad, upon allthtearth, eating anddrinking, and dancing in triumph,forthe great prey they had taken. It was three daies at lea!l:,fincethis gainful! forragingof .Ama/ek;and now,feeing no feare ofany purfuer, and promifing themfelves lafecy, in fo great and untraced a C di!l:ance,they make themfdves merry withfo rich and eafieo viG!ory;and now fuddenly, when they began to thinkofenjoying the beauty & wealth they had gotten. the fword of D<vidwas upontheir throats. De!l:rufrion is never nearer,then when fecuriry bath chafedaway feare. With how fad faces and hearcs,had the Wives of David,and the otherCaptives oflfrael,looked upon the triumphal! Re~ls of Amakk; and what a change,doe wethink,appeared in them,w.J,en they faw their happy and valiant Refcuers,£1ying in upon their infolent Vidors,and making tlr. deathof theAmalekites,the ranfome oftheir captiviry~They mourned ev<n now a1the dances of ~mal<k; now in the Ouiekes and death of Am•lek, they /bout andrejoyce: The mercy ofour God forgets not to enterchange our forrowes with joy,and the joy ofthe wicked with farrow. D The Ama\ekites have paid a deareloane forche goodsoflfrael,which tleynow re!l:orewith their ownlives ; and now their fpoile bath make David richercheo he expclted: that bootywhich they had fwept from all other parcs,accrewed to him. 'thofe Ifraelites that could not goe on to fight for their /hare, are comet> meet their brethren with gratulation.How partial! arewe wont to be to our own aufts ~ Even very Ifraeliteswill be ready to fall out for matter of profit: where fef-love bath bred 3 quarrell,every manis fubjell to flatter his own cafe.It feemed pladible oad but ju!l: to the actors in this refcue,thatthofewhich hadtakennopart inth<pain and ha~ard ofthe journey, lhould receive no part ofthe commodity. It was farour enough for them to recovercheir wives and children, though they fl1ared notir.the goods. Wife and holy David (whofe praife was no lelfe, to overcome his OWl in E time of peate,then his enemies in war) calls his co.nt~nding follow_ers from Law~o equity and fo orders the matter, that fincethe Plamt1fes were decamed not by w1!, but by'neceffity, aad fince their forced fhy was ufefull in guarding the !l:uffe, thO{ lhould partake equally ofthe prey with their fellowes. A fentence well befeemin! the ju!liceofGods Anointed.Thofe that reprefencGod uponearch,lhould refembk him in their proceedings. Iris the ju!l mercy ofour God,tomeafure us byour wtls, not by our abilities; to recompenceus gracioufly, accordmgto the truth ofour defires,and endeavour>;and to acco.unt th.at performed byus,wh!ch he only letteth us from·perforrning.It were w1deWith us,1ffomeum~s purpofe d1d not fupply athons. Whiles our hea.n faulreth rfot, wethat through fpmtuall fickoelfeare fame to ab1de by the !l:uffe, 01alllhare both in grace and glory with the Victors. The
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