1"he death o(Saul. The death ofSaul, Witch ofEndor had halfe flaine S~11l pefore theBattle : it is juft th.at theywhoconfultwith Devils, lhould goeaway with difcomfort: Hee batheaten his !all breadat the hand ofa Sorcere!fe : andfl!)wneceffity drawes hini into that field,where he fees nothing but defpaire. Had not S•ulbeleeved the ill newrs ofthe counterfeit Samuel, he had not beene Jlruckdowneonthegroundwithwords: Now his bekefe made him defperate · Thole actionswhich arc not fullained bjl hope, mufl needs languifl1: and are ondy promoted byoutwardcompulfion:Whtles the mmde IS unctrtamoffuccelfe it releeves it fdfwith the poflibilities ofgood: in doubts there isacomfortable mi~ture: but when it is a!fured ofthe worfl event, it is utterly difcouraged and dejected. It bath therefore pkafed the wifdomeofGod to hide from wicked men, his determinationof their finall dlare, that their remainders of hope, may hearten them to good. In all likelihood one fdf-fame day~faw D•vida victor over the Amalekites and SAUI difcomfit(d by the Philiflims; How lhould it be otherwife ~ David confdlred with God, and prevailed ; Saul with the Wirch ofEndor,and perilherh. Theend is commonly anfwerable to the way;Iris. an idle injuflice when we doo ill,ro look to fpeed well.The llaughter of S••l and hiS fans,was not mthdirfl Scene ofthis TraC gical fidd;that was ratherreferved byGod,forthelaJl att,thatSau/s meafuremight be full:God is long ere he Jlrikes,but when he c!oth,it is to purpofe;Firll, Ifrad fkes and falls downe wounded inMount Gilboa ; Ther had their part ins auls fin; they werea~ors inDAvidt perfecuriont Julllythereforedoerhey fufferwith him,whom they hadfeconded in offence.As it is hard to be good under an evil Prince,fo it is~· rare not to be enwrapped in his judgemenrs:!t was no fmall addition to the anguilb of SAuls death, to fee hisfons dead, to fee his people fleeing, and fiain before him 1 They had finned intheir King,and in them is theirKing punilbed,The reil were not fo worthy ofpitty;but whole heart would it norrouch to fee lo»Athan,the good fon of a wicked father,involved in the commond<ltru/,hon! Death is nor partiall: All difpolirions,all AJerits are alike to it; if valour,ifholinelle,iffincerity ofheart could D have beene any defence againll morraliry, l~f141han IJJd furvived: Now by their wound< and dearh,no man candifcern whtch !S IonAthan; The foule only findes the difference,which the body admitteth not ;. Death ts the commongate both ro Heaven and Hell;we all paffe that,ereour turmng toeither hand:The fword ofthe Phi. lillims fetcheth lonArhARthrough it with his fdlowes:naf<>oneris his foot over that threffiold,thenGodconduCleth himroglory:The befl cannotbe happy but through their dilfolution; Now therefore bath Jonathanno caufe of complainr,he is by the r~de and cruell hand of a Philiflim but removed to a better Kingdome then bee leaves to his brother; and atonce is his death both a temporall affilction to the fori of .l'~ul,and an entrance ofglory to the friend of David. The Philiflim-archers lhot at randome: God direils theirarrowos into the boE dy ofS41•~ : Lell the difc<,>mfiture ofhispeople,and the flaughrer ofhis fonslhould notbe gnefeenough to htm, he feeles lumfelfe wounded, and fees nothino before himbur horrour and death ! and now as a man forfakenof all hopes, he b~gges of hts Armour-bearertha< deaths-blow,whtchelfe he mufl (torhe doublmg ofhis indignation) receive frorr.a Phlliflim. He begges this bloudy f:IVour of his fervanr, and isdenyed : Such anawfulnelfe bath God placed in Soveraigmy,!that no entrea. ty, no extremity, can move the hand againfl it : Whatmetall are thofe men made of, that can fuggell or re'olve, and attempt the violation of M2jefly(Wicked men care more fonhe lhameoftheWorld, then the danger of,heir foules: Defperafe Saul will now fwpply hisArmour-bearer;and as aman that bore armes againll him. fdf,he fals upon hisown fword.What ifhe had died by the weapon of a Philiflim? So did his fan Ionathan, andloll no glory : Thefe conceits ofdifreputation prevaik . Y > \Vitl1
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