ntS Contemplations. Lu.XVI. ferved: The fi~el!ty ofaMaid inftrutled them in thei: meffag~,the lubtilcy ofa wo- A man faved their hves.At the Well ofRogel they recuved theirmeffage,'n theWell ofBaburim wasthdr life faved:The !udden wit ofawoman bath choked the mouth ofherWell with dry~d corne,that it might ~ot bewray the meffengers:& now Dlt· vid heares fafely ofhts danger,and prevents lt: and though weary with travel!- and laden with forrow,he mull fpend the night in his remove. Gods ptomifes ofhi's deliYerancc, & the confir'!'ation of his kingdom may not make him neglett the means ofhisfafcty: Ifhe be fatthfull,we may not becareleffe; !ince our diligence and care are appointed for the factors of that divineprovidence; The acts of God mull abate nothingofours; rather mull: we labour, by doing that which he requireth,to further tbat which he decreeth. There are thofc that have great wits for the publike, none for themfelves rSuch 11 was vtchitophet, who whileshe had power togoverneaState,could not tell how to rule his owne paffions: Never till now doe we find his counfell balked, neither was irnow :ejectedas ill,_only Hujbaits w~s aUowed f~r better:hecan live nolongerno" that he ts beaten at hts owne weapon : tht5 alone IS caufe enough to faddle hisAtre and to goe home and pot thehalter about his owne necke.Pride caufes men both~~ mif-interpret difgraces,and to ov<r-rate them:Now is D•viJs prayer heard,AchitlphtlsGOunfeU is turnedintofi•liJbnt{(e: Defperate Achit•phel, \V hat if thou be no~ the wife!l: man ofa! Ifrael!Even tholethat have notattained to tbe highe!l: pitch ofwifdome,have found contentment in a mediocrity: what ifthy counfcllwere defpifed~ Awife man knows to live happily in fpightofan unju!l: contempt: what madnes is this,to revenge another mans reputation upon thy felfe!Andwhiles thou llrivdl for C the highe!l: roome of wifdome, to run into the grotreft extremity offolly! Worldly wifdomeis no proteelion from lhame and ruine. How eafily may a man, though naturally wife,be madeweary of life!A little paine,a little lhame,a little Ioffe,a fmal affront can foone rob amm ofall comfort, and caufe his ownc hands to rob himof himfdfc :Ifthere be not higher refpccts then the world can yecld,to maineraine us in being,it lhould be a miracle ifindignation did not kil more then difeafe:now,that God by whofe appointment we live here, for his moll: wife and holy purpofes,hath found meanes to make life fwecr, and death terrible. Whatamixture do we find here ofwifdome an<! madneffe! Achltlphtl will needs hang himfclfe1there is madneffe; He will y<t fer his houfe in order1thcre is an a~ of wifdome:And could it be poffible that he,whowas fo wife as to fer his houfe inor- D dcr, !bould be fo mad as to hang himfelfe! That he !hould be careful! to order his houfe, who regarded not ro order his impotent paffiens! That he 01ould care for his houfe,wbo cared not for either body or foule! How vainc it is !or aman to be wife, ifhe be not wife in God! How profpcrous are rhe cares of 1dleworldlings, that prefcrallotherthings tothemfelves, and whiles they lookeatwhattbey have in their cofers, forger what they have in their brea!l:s. The death o/ Abfalom. IIHEfame God that railed enmity to D•vid from hisowne loynes,procu. red him favour from forainers ; Strangers {hall relieve him, whom his :tl own fon perfecutes 1 Here is not a loffe, butan exchange oflove: Had ,}_;) Abfal•m been a fon of AmmM, and Sh•bi a fon of Bavitl, D•vid had found no caufe ofcomplaint: IfGod rake with one hand, he gives with another: whiles that divine bounty ferves us in, good mear,though not in our owne di!bes,we have good reafon to bethankfuii:Nofooner is D•vid come to Mth•n•im, then BAT~H•i,M4<hir,and shobi refre!b him with proyifios.Who ev<r faw any child of God left utterlydellitute! Whofoeverbethe meffengerofour aid, we know whence he comes 1 Heaven!ball want power, and earthmeanes, before any of the houlhold offaith Oull want maintenance. He that formerly was forced toimploy his armes for his defence again!l: a tyrannous
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