u)S6 1 [o~templationJ. L I a. X 1 V. / lyavouching his Succdlion: yet he will not frirre From the heaps of Ziklag till 'he A 1 have ~onfulted with the Lord: It didnot content him,that he had <?odswarrant for I theKmgdome;but he mufr have hts mfrruthons for the takmg pofieflion ofit:How fafe and happy is the man that tsrelolved to do nothing withoutGodoNeith" will generalities ofdiretlion be fuffictent;even particular circumfrances mufr look ror a I word:frill is God a Pillar offire;and cloud to the eye ofevery Ifraeiit.e: neithermay there be anymotion or fray hut from him; Tlm atlion cannot but futceed, which proceeds upon fo fure a warrant. God fends him toHebron a City ofJudah:Neitber willDavidgo up thither alone buthe takes with him all his men with their whole houtholds : they llull ta~e fuch part as himfelf: As they hadthared with him in his mifery,fothey !hall now in his profpcrity: Neither doth he take advantage of their late mutiny (which was yet B frei!Jandgreen)to cathiere thofe unthankfull,and ungracious followers,but pardon. ing their fecrer rebellions,he makes them partakers ofhis good fucceffe. Thusdoth our heavenly Leader(whom David prefigured )take us ro raign with him who'have futfered with him: palling by ourmanifold infirmities, os if they had not been, he remov<th us from the Land ofour banifhmem,and theathes ofour forlorn Ziklag, to the Hebron ofour Peace and glory : The expctlation of this day mufr (as it did \vich Davids Soldiers) digefhll our forrowes. Nev(r any calling ofGod was fo confpicuous, as not ro finde fome Oppofires : What Ifraelite did not knowDavid appointed byGod rorhe fucceflionofthe Kingdome ~ Even theAmalekite,could carry the Crown to him as the true Owner: yet -therewants not anAhnerto refifr him,and theTitleofan Ijhbojbeth to colour hisrefi. C fiance:Ifany of Sau{s houfe could have made challenge to theCrown~it fhould h~ve been Mtphil1ojbdh the [on of Ionath•n: Who,it feemes had too muchofhis Fat&·eis bloud to be a Compctitdrwith D•·vid:the quefrion is not,who may claim ihe inoft rigbt,bul:who may beft ferve thefatlion;Neitherwas Ijbbojhtth anyotherthen A~ nlrs Stale.S4t•l could not have a fitter Courtier:whether in the imitation ofhis Mafters envy, or the ambition ofruling under a borrowed name, he frrongly oppofed D4vid : therearethofe who frrive againfr their own hearts, tomake a fide, with whoin confcience is opprdfed by affetlion: An ill quarrel! once •ndertaken fhallbe maintained although with hloud:Now,not fo much the bloudofs....t,as the ingage. ment of <.A liner' makes theWarre. The fonnesof Ztmi•h !land fafr to Dav id : Iris much,how a man placeth hi; lirfr interefr: If Ahmr had been in Joahs roome, \~ben D Sanls difpleafure droveDa"Jid from the Court,or Ioah in A6nm,thefe atlions,thefe eveJlts had been changed with the perfops : It was theonely happindfe of loll> that he fell on the better fide. Both the Commanders under D•v id i nd Jjhbojhtth were equally crueH:borkarr fo inured to bloud,rhat they make buta fport ofkillina. Cufrome mak~s' fin fo fa. miliar,thatthe horror of it,is to fame turned into plcafure. (come ltt the youngmen pl•y hefore.ru.)Ahntr is the Challenger,and fpeeds thereafter: for chaugh in the matches ofDuel(both fides mifcarried,yer in the following confiid,Abner and his rrien are beat<n: By the fucceffe of thofe fingle Combats no man Inowes the better of tbecaufe : Both /ides pcriOJ,'to fhew, howlinle Godliked eicher the olth, or the accepratlon of fuch a tryall;but when bothdid their befr,God punitherh the wro~g E· part withdifco~~ture.. . . . -. Oh rhe mtfe'ry ofctvtll dtftentton·! Ifrael and Judah werebrethren. Onec:t111ed the name ofthe Fatl1er,theoiher ofthe Sonne: Iudili was bnt abranch of!frael;if. radwas the roote of)udah : yetlfrael anl:l JMah muft fighc, and kill each 6.rher ; ondy upon rhe quatrell ofan ill Leadmambition. The fpeed of <.Afahtl wan/or grearet thenhis cour~ge: It w~sa mlnde fit forotie of D•vids worthies, to frrikeat ·the hud,rp ma\ch htmfdfeWith thebeft : Hee wasboth fwtft acrd frrong: but the riu:e i's<liotto the fwift,nor the blrtle !O tire firong : Ifhe had gone never fo llowfy, he might Jnvc oven~ken deoth : nowhe!' runs to fetch it. So fittre lufi h:nf.Abner ro.lhed theblouclofa foJl of Ztr.ui.W, that hee twice advifes him to retie3te horn purfui.iig· his own peril! : A f.Wcls caufe was fo much better as Ainm fucce!fe: Manr . ... .. ~, . , ... ._ . --- . ·--- . . . . - .. -· --~ a
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