L 1 B. XV I. Tbe numbringofthe people. 1!37 A fitler Michol thewife of David,are ycdded up to death; M er ab was after a promife - ofmarriage to David,unju!lly given away by Saul,to Adritl; Michot feemestoabe$ the march in breeding the children ; now in one aCt (not of Davids feeking) the wrong is thus late avengeduponSaui,Adriti,Merab,M ichol,the chi!dren:It is adange. rous mmer to offer injuryto anyof Gods faithful! ones;Iftbeir meekne!fe luve ea· fily remitted it, their God will not pa!fe itover without a feverc retribution. The le live togetherwith two fens of Kizpah, Sa•ls Concubine, arc hanged up at oncebefore the Lord,yea and before the eyes ofthe world;No place but anHi! wil ferve for thisexecution; The aC!sof jutlice as they are intended for example,fo they fl1ould bedone in that eminent fafl1ionthat maymake them both moil in!huetive, & motl terrifying ; Unwarrantable courfesofprivate revenge feck to hide their heads B in fecrcfie; the beauti:ull face of Iutlice both affctls the light and becomes ir. It was the general! chargeof Gods Law that no corps lbould remainc all night upon the gibbet; The Almighty bath power to difpenfe with his own command;fo doubtlelfe he did in this extraordinary cafe; thefe carcalfes did not defile, but expi· ate.SorrowfuH Rizpah fpreads her a Tent ofSackcloth upon the Rock, for a fad at• rcodanee upon thofe foru ofherwomb;Deathmight bereaveh«ofrhem,oot the of her love; ., his fp<Clacle \Yas not more grievous to her, then pi .a ling to God, and happy to Ifrael. Nowtheclouds drop f•rnelfe, and theearth runs forth into plenty, The Gibe&;mit<5 arefatisfied, God reconciled, Ifrael relieved, How ble!fed a thing is it for any Nation that jullice is unportially executed even upon the mighty. A few drops of blood have procured large lbowersfrom Heaven. C Afew carcaffes area rich compotl to the earth; The drought and dearth remove away with the breathofthofe pledges of the offender: Iudgement cannot tyrannize where jotlice raignes : as contrarily, there can be no peace where blood cryes un• beard, unregarded. I The numbring of thepeople, DSrarl was grownewanton and mutinons:God pulsthemdowoe fitll by the (word, thenby famine, now by pellilence. Oh the wondrous, and · yet jutl waies of the Almighty ! Becau[e Ifrael bath finned, therefore D David fhall finne, that Ifracl may be punilhed: Btcaufe God is angry with Ifrad, thereforeDaviJihall ang<r himmore, and flrike himfdfc in lfrael, and Ifrael through himfelfe, The fpiritof God elfe-whereafcribes this motion toSatao,which here itattributes to God : Both had their hand in the worke;Godbypermiffioo,Satan by fuggetlion; God as a Iudg<,Satanas an enemy:Godasin aj utl punifhment for lin,Satan as in an ad of fin : God in a wife ordinationofit to good ; Satanin amalicious intent of confufion. Thusat CUlCe God moved,and Satan moved: 'Neither is it any excufe to SJtanor Davi d,tlm God moved:ncither is it any blemifh to God,that Sata mo~ed: The rulers fin is apunifhment to a wicked people : though they had many linncs of their ownc, whetcon God might have grounded a Judgement, yet as before he had E punifht themwithdearth for s.uts Cm, [o now he will not punilh them with plague, but for Davids fin:IfGod were not angry with a pwple,he would not giv-e up their govcrnoursto !uch evils as whereby he is provoked to vengeance 1 and ittheir governours bethus given up,tht people cannot be fafe: The bodydrownes not whiles the head is above the water; wh<n thatonce finkes, death is necre: Iutlly therefore arewe charged tomake pray<rs and fupplications, as for all, fo cfpccially for thofe thatare in emioentauthority;whenwe pray for our fdves, we praynot alwaies for them,but we cannot pray for them, and not pray for our (elves ; the publiquewealc is notcomprifed in the private, butthe private in the publiqu~. What then wasDavidslin?He will needs have Ifrael and Iudl numbred: Surely there is no malignity innumbers ; Neither is it unfit for a Prince to know hisownc Rtength; this is not t he firtl time that Ifrael had gone under afeckoning: Theaa offends
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