1100 [ontemplationr. L Ia.XV; Houfe,for IIIUihAiufake, willnowalfo lhewkindndfetoH""""• for the fake of A N•hAjl> hisfa_rher. It was the fame N Ahajb that offered the cruell condirioa to the mea of J~bdh ! Gilead, of thruftiog OUt·their right eyes for the admiflion into his covenant. He that was thus blouta in his Deligoes ~gainll: ~frael, yet waskinde t~ DaviJ ; perbaps tor no caufe o much as S•uls oppolinon; And yet even th1s favour is hcld worthy bothof mem01y and retribution: Where we have the A tu of eourtelie itis not necelfa~ ':"' lhould core~ into .• ll:riCl e?amination ,of thegrou1Jds ofir; whiles the bene t IS ours,lct the lntennon be thetrowne; What ever the hearts of men ~re, we mull:looke at their·hands, and repay, not what they meant, butwhat theydid. . . • . N•h4fb IS dead, DavsJ fends Ambalfadors tocondole h1s lolfe,and tocomfOrt his , . Son, Hanu11. No Ammonite but is fadly affedcd with the deathofa Father,though 1 it gaioe him aKingdom< : Even E fau could fay, the dayesofmoutningfor my _Fathet will come; No eanbly advantage can fill up theg~pofnaturc: Thofe children' are worfe then Amm9nireslthat cah think either gaine, or liberty, worthy to countervaile a yarems lolfe. 1 Carnal men are wont fa meafureanothers foot by their owne Lall: ; their owne fal!hood makes them unjull:ly fufpiciou• ofothers.The Princes ofAmm111,becaufe they ar'f1uilry to their own hollowfl<lfe and doubleneffe of heart, areready fo to judge o David and his Mclfen,gers, (Thinktj th•u thl# D•vidd•th ho111r Jz F411Jtr, th41 he h41hfent mnforltrs lintothtt f Hatb "" Davidrathtr ft•t hiSDJf1Ttt erviMs 11 thu,to ji.rcbthe Cstj,•nat•fiitit ••t,flovtrthro.. it/)lt is hard for awicked heart to G: tllink well ofany otber ; be~aufc it can think none better tben it felf, and knowes itfelfevill : The freer a man is from vice himfelf,themore 'haritable he ufes to be unto others. ' What(oever D•vli was,particuiarly in his own perfon,icwa~ground enoughof prejudice,that he wasan Ifraelite1 ~t was an hertdltary and deep ferledhatred, that tke Ammonites had conceived againll:their brethren oflfrael:aeirhercanthey forget that lhamefull and fearfull foyle,which they received fromthe refcuersof I~ljl> Ciltd;and now ll:ijl doe they ll:omach atthe name oflfrael;Malice once conceived in worldlyhearts,is noreafily exringuilhed,but upon all occalions,is ready to break forth intoa flame ofrevengefullaCtions. . Nothing can be more dangerous, then for young Princ<i to meet with ill D Counfdl inthe entranceoftheir Government ; for both then arc thc:y moll: {'tone to take ir, and moll: ditlicultly recovered from it 1 ifwe be fer out ofourway 10 the beginningofour journey, we wander all the day; flow happy is that State, where boththe Counfdlors are faithfull,ro give onlygood advice; and the King wife to difcerne good advice from evill: the you::!! KingofAmmon is eafily drawn to bekeve his Peeres, and to millrull: the m enoers ; and having now in his conceit turned them into fbyes, entertaines them wi~ a fcornfull dlfgrace 1 he !haves.off one halfe of their cards, and cuts offone half< of their garments ; exholi~hem tothederilionofallthebeholders. The Ifraelites were forbidden eit era aven beard ; or a !hort garment ; indefpight, perhaps, oftheir Law thefc Embaffadors 2re fent away with both,cerrainly in a dd'pight oftheir M~ller, anda fcorn oftheir E perfons. King Dwid is not a little fenlible of the abufeofhis Mclfengers,and ofhimfclfe in them; Firll:, therefore he defires to hide their !hame, then to•revenge ir. Man bathbut a double ornamenrofbod~,theone ofnature, the orhetofArt; Thenaturall ornament is the haire,the arti ciall is apparell; D•v ids Mdl'engers are defer· med in both ; The one is eafily fupplied by a new fuire, the other can onely befupplyedourofrhe Ward-robeoftime, Tarr1 111 ItrichotiUy••r br.rJs bte gr,.nu. Howealily had this·deformiry beene removed, if as~"""' had !havenone frde ~f their faces, forhey had !haven the other; what had rh1s been but to refeml;>le thetr yonger oge, orthat other fexe, in neither ofwhich, doe we ufcto ~ace any i~agination ofunbefeeming 1 neitherdid there want fame of their neig bour Nattons, ' whofe
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