Contemplations. Lra.XVI. ofhis revenge:The City ofAbel lends harbour to that confpirator,whom all Ifrael A would, and cannot prmett, I,.b caft up a Mount againft it, and having invironed it withaliege begins to workeupon the wall 1 and now, after long chafe,is in hand 10 digout that Vermine, which had earthed himfelfe in this borough ofBcthmaacha. Had nor the City been ftrong and populous, sheh4 had not cafthimfelfc for fuccour within rhofewals;yet ofall the inhabitaors,I fee not any one man move forthe prefcrvation of their whole body: Onely a woman undertakes to treat with ID4b for their fafcty: Thefemen whofc fpirits weregreatenough eo maintaine aTray;or a. gainll a might}' King,fcorne norrogive way ro thewifdome ofa Matron; There is noreafon char fexc lhould difparage, where the verruc & meritis no lcffe then maf. culine: Surely the foule acknowlcdgeth no fexe, neither is varied according to ti1c outward frame; How oft have we known female hearts inthe breafts ofMen, and B contrarily manly powers in the weaker veficls ~ It is injurious to meafurc the act by the perfon, and not rathertoefteeme the perfon furrhe act. She,with no lcffc prudence then courage,challengerh Io.h for tile violence ofhis affaulr1and lays to him that lawwhich he could norbe an lli:aclite and difavow 1rhc Law$[theGod ofpeace,whofechargeit was,that when they fhould cnmc ne.re ro a City to fight againft it,they lhould offi:r it peace1and ifthis render mull be made to foraioers,how muchmore to brerhren!So as they mull:inquireofAbd,ere they bar. tered it: Waris rhccxtcamc act ohiodicative juftice ; neither dorh God ever ap. prove it for any orher then a deiperate remedy; and if it have any ochcr end rhen peace, it turoes into publike murder. It is therefore an inhumane cruelty ro lhed blood,where wehave not profered faire conditions of peace: The refufall whereof C is juftly punifhed with the fword ofrevenge. Io•h was a man ofblood, yet when the wife woman ofAbclcharged himwith going about todelhoy a mother in Ifrael 1 and fwallowing up the inheritance ofthe Lord, withwhat vehemency doth he deprecate that challenge, God forbid, G•dforjjd il me,thill I fJ>•sltl dtvoure,.r de.flrOJ il~ Although thatCitywith the reil had ingaged it fdfe in shehAes fedition, yet how zealoufiy doth lo•b remove from himftlfe the fufpition ofanioreodedva!tarioMHow fcarefulllhall their anfwer be, who upon the quarrell oftheir own ambition have not fpared tO wafte whole Tribe• of the Ifracl of God~Itwas not rh~ falhion of DAvids Captains to affault any Cityerethey fummond it 1 here they did : Thcrebe fomethingsrhatinrhe very factcary theit own coovi,:tion. So did Ahtl in thcentertainiog, and abetting a known confpiracor; D lo.h cballengeth them for the offence,& requiresno other fatisfa<l!ion then the head of ShthA: This Matron had oot dcferved the name ofWife, and faithfull in Ifrael,if fhe had not botll apprehended the juriice ofthe condition,and commeoded it to her Citizens; whom !he had eafil; perfwaded rofpare their own heads, in not fpariog a Traytors : It had been pity thofe wals lhould have flood if they had been too high to throw a Traytors head over. Spiritually,rhe cafe is ours: Every mans breaft is as a City ioclofcd: Every fin isa Traitor,thar lurkswithin thofe wals1God cals to us for Shehm head1 neither bath he anyquarrell toourpcrfon, but fo~ o"rfin :_I~ we love the head ofour Traytor, a. bove thelifeofour Soule,we!hall Juftly penlh1n the vengeance: wecannot be more willing to part withour fin,then our mercifull God is towithdraw his judgements. E Now is Ioab returned with fucetffe,and hopes by She64ts head to pay the price of Am•foes blood:D•vidhares the murder,entcrcainesthe ma'n,d~fcrs the; rcvengel~4b had made himfdfe fo great, fo necelfary, rhar DAvtd may neither m1ffe nor punllh him: Policy led the j(ing to connive atthatwhi~h his heart a~horred!I dare nor eomead that wifdom which holds the hands ofPnnces fromdomg Ju!hce.Greatmea have ever held it a point ofworldly ftate,n~r alwaies to pay where_they h~ve becno confcious to adebt ofeither favour, or pumlhmcnt; but ro makeT1me their fervaot for both:SAIImDII !hall once defray the arerages of his father:Jn the meane time!l•b commands and profpcrs; and D•vid is faine ro fmile oAthat face, whereon ~bath in hislecret deft10arion written the charactersofDeath. 'IItt
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=