Contemplations. Lra.XVI. Shebaes ~be/Jion. liT \'13S the doome which God paffed upon the man after his owne heart · by the mouth of Nathan; that the fword lhould never depart from his A · houfe,for the blood of rrlah: 1\fter that wound healed by rcmiflio~ yet this fcarrercmaincs ; Ahfol•m is no foooer caft downe into the pit t'hen Shtha the fan of Blchrl is up in armes; If Davidbe not plagued, yet be thall b~ corrctt.<d; FirCl ~y the rod ofaSoone, then ofa[ubjett.: He had li!t up ~is hand again(! afauhfullfubjett; now afatthldfe dares to hft up h1s hand agamCl h1m. Malice like Come hereditary fickneffe runs ioa blood: S•ul,andShlrntl, and Shth•were all of an B hou(e : That ancient grudge wasnot yet dead : The lire ofthe houfe of Itmlni was but-raked up,neverthroughly out; and now, thatwhich did but fmoake in shimti flames in Sbtba: Although even through this chaClifement it is not hard to difcerne ~ Type ofdllt perpetuall fucceilion ~fcnmity,which lhould be raifed agaia(l the true King of Ifracl.O Sonof Da'llid, when didCl thou ever want enemiesrHowwert thou defigned by thine ctcroall Father,for a figae that lhould be fpokenagainftrHow did the Gentiles rage,and the people imagine vain th~r TheKings ofthe earth affem. bled, and the Rulers came together againft th<er "Ya,how doe the f~bjetts ofthine owne kingdome datly confpire againft thee r Even now whiles thou enjoyell peace, and glory at thy fathers right hand,as foone !bait thou want friends, as enemies up· onearth. . C No eye of any traytor couldefpie a jufl: quarrel! in the government of D•via, yet Shtb& blowes thetrumpetofrebe_llion; and whiles lfrael and ludah ardlriving who lhould have the_greatellJ.art. in their re·efl:ab\ilhed Soveraigne, he ll.icks not to fay, Wtha'llt n1par1 '" DAVI , lfttthtr hAve w< mhtrttanrt mthtf•n •JI}h.,; and whiles he fayes, E.V<rJ rn4Tm h~ tents o Ifrael{ he .cat~ every "!'a~ to his owne; So in proclai· ming a ltberty from a JU!l and loyal fubJeClton, he mv1tes Ifrael to the bondage of an Ufurper. That a lewd confpirator lbould breatheTreafon it is no wonder l but is it not wonder and lhame, that upon every mutinous blall, Jfracllhould turne Traytor to Gods anointed ! It was their late expoftulation with Davit/, why thdr brethren the men of Iudah fhould have ftoloe him from them;now might Davit/ more jullly ex- D poftulate, why a rebell of their brethren lhould have llolne themfrom him : As DO· thing is more unllable then the multitude, fo. nothing is more fubjetl to difl:afl:es, then Soveraignty; for as weak minds feek pleallre in chonge; fo every light concdt of irritation fcemes fufficient colour ofchange : Such as the falfe difpoficions of the vulgar are, love cannot be fecmity enough for Princes, without the awfulneffe of poioer; What hold can there be ofpopu\acity, when the fame hands that even now fought for David to be all theirs,now fight againft him, under the (on of Bi;hri, as none oftheirs! As Beeswhe they are once up in a fwarme,are r<ady to light upon e. very bough, fo the l!raelites being llir'd by the late e<)motion ofAhfol•m,are apt to follpw every Sbtb•: It isunfafc for any elate, that the multitude lhould once know theway to an infurrettion;thelea(hrack in this kind is tafily made a path.Yet,if 1!- E rael rebell,ludah continues faithful;neither thall the fan of D•vid ever beleftdellirute oHome true fubjetts in thewmll ofApollalies:He thatcouldcomand a! beam, will ever be followed by fomel God had rathet glorifie himfelfe by a remnant, Great Commanders mull have active thoughts;Davidis not fo taken up with the embroiled affaires ofhis llate,as not to intend domeftick)ullice: His ten concubines, which were Jbamek!ly defiled by hisincelluousfon,ar< condemned toward,andwi· dowhood.Had not that conftupration been partly violent,their punifi1meot had not been fo C3lir,~ad it not alfo been partly Yoluntary,they had not been fo much punithcc':But how much foever theatt did partakeofeither force, or will,ju!lly are they fcquellred from Davids bed:Abfalom was not more unnaturall in his rebellio,thcn in his lull:Ifnow Davitl !hould hlve retlllned to his own bed, he had fecondedthe in· ceft' ..
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