1J30 Contemplations. LIB. XVI. ownehairemm'd rraytor rohim, whodurft rife upagainft his father. That part A which is mif-ufed by man to fin,is commonly imployed byGod to revenge;The revenge that it worketh for God, makes amends for the offence, whereto it is dra1~ne againft God;The verybeaft whereon Abfolom far, as weary to beare fo unnatnrall a burden,refignes over his load to the treeof}uftice; There hangs Abfolom between heaven and earth, as one that was hated and abandoned both of<arth and heaven : As ifGod mt:ant to prefcribe this punifhmenr for Trayrors,Abfal•m, Achillphtl and rud.n dye all one death: So lmhem perifh that dare lift up their hand againft Gods Anointed. The hone(\ fouldier fees Ab(alom hanging inthe Oke,and daresnot touch him-his hands were held with the charge of David,Be10a" ,••, nonetou<h tbt ''""g man Ab- (41om1Ioab,upoo that intelligence, fees him,and fmites him, with no leffe then three B darts. What rbe fouldier forbore in obedience,the Cnptainedoth in zeale:not fear. ing to prefer his Soverains fafety, to his command; and more tcndring the life of a King,and peace of his Country, then the weal« affeCtion of a father. I dare not fit Judge betwixt this zcalc and that obediencc,betwixt the Captaine & the Souldier; rhe one was a good fubjeC!, the other a good Patriot: the oneloved the Kiog, the orher loved David1 and out of!Dve difobeyed; the onemeant as we! as the other fped: As ifGod meant to fulfill the charge ofhis Anointed, withoutany blameofhis fub. jeC!s,it pleafed him to execute that immediate rtvengeuponthe rebell,which would have difpatcht himwithout hand or dart:Only the Mule & the Oke confpired to this execution;but that death would have required more lcafure,then it was fate for Ifra• el to give;and ftilllifewould give hope of refcue:to cutoffall !cares, I1ab lends the C Oke three darts to help forward foncedfull a worke of)uftiw All lfracl did not offord fo firme a friend to Ab(.km,as IDAb h•d becnc; who but Ioab had fuboroed the wittywidow o[TtkOAh, to1uc for the recalling of -.Ab(4/om, from his three yeares exile~ Who but he went ro fetch him from Gtfh•r ro )erufulem(Whobmhe fcrchr himfrom his houfe at)crufalcm(whcteto he had been two yeares confined) to the face,to the lips of DAvidrYet nowhe that was his folicirorforthe 'J(in~s favor,is his executioner again(\ the Kings charge:With honeft hearts all refpcC!s cttbcr ofbloud or friend!hip ceafcin the cafe ofTreafoo; wdl bath 101~ forgotten himfelfe to be a friend to him who had forgotten himfclfe to be a fonoe. Even civilly, the King is our common father,our Country our common mother; Nature hath no private relations which fhould not gladly give place to thefe.He is neither father,nor fon,nor D brother, nor friend, that confpiresagamftthe c<tmmoo parent : Well doth be who fpake parables for his Mafters fon,now fpeakcdarts to his Kings enemy;and pierces that bcart whichwas falfe to fo great a fathcr:Thofe darts arc feconded byioabs followers; eachman tries his weapon upon fo faire a mark<. Onedeath is not enough for Abfol•m;he is atonce hanged,fhot, mangled, ftooed: Juftly was he lift up to tlie Oke,who bad lifi up himfclfc againft his father, and Sovcraioc; Ju(lly is he pierced with darts, who had pierced his fathers heart wirh fo many forrowcs; Juftly is he mJnglcd, who bath difmembred and dividedalllfracl; Iuftly is he ftoned,who bath nor ondy curfed, but purfued his ownc parent. Now Ioahfounds theretreat1and callsoffhis eagertroupes from execution1howe. ver he knewwhat his rebellious Countrymen had deferved in following anAN•lom: E Wife Commanders know how toput adifference bctwixttheheadsofa faltioo,and dte mif-guided multitude;&can pity theone,whiles theytake revengeonrhe other. So did Abfolom efteeme himfclfe, rhat bee thought 1t would bee awrong to the world to want thememorial! offogoodly a pcrfon.God had denied him fons1How juft it was that he fhould want a fon,who had robd his fathe( of a fon, who would have robd himfalfe ofa father,his f.uher ofaKingdome! It had been pity fo poifo. nous aplant fhould have been fruitfull, His pride fhall fupply naturr, he rcare~ up_a ftatdy piUarin the Kings dale, and calls it by his owne n3me, that be mightlivc_ID dead ftones,who could not furvlve in living ilfue: and now,behold this curious J>lle ends in a rude heap, which fpeaksno language but the iliame of that carcalfe whi'ch itcovers: Heare this ye glorious foo!es, that care not to perpetuate any memory of your
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