) JI6f Contemplations. Lra.XVII, - doth not depend upon S ' ' '""'" obedience:If S•lm•Dn tball fuffer his faithfuloelfe to A failetowards his God;God willnot reqoire him with the failing of his [Jithfulndfeto S•llmhl: If S•l1m1n breake his Covenant with God;God will not breake his Coveoant with the father of s.t,,,,, with the foooe of D•vid: He tball fmart he IJull ootperitb. Oh gratious word ofthe God ofall mercies, able to give !lrono~h to the languilhinN, comfort to the defpairinf, to the dying life! What foever w:are, thou wilt belli 1thy felfe, 0 holy Ooe o Ifrad, true to thy Covenant, coni\am to thy Decr~e; The finnes ofthy chofcn can neither frullratethycounfell,nor <JUt-!lripthy merctes. Now I fee S•!lmm ofa wanton lover,a grave Preacher ofmortification; I f<e him quenching thofe inordinate flames with the teares of his repeetane<. Me thinkes I B heare him lighing deeply betwixt every word ofthat his folemne penance, w~ich he would needs enjoyne himfdfc before all the world./ hAvtApplytdmJhWtlo know thtrt>l<ked,effi 4f[ofly,ev•nthefoolijhllt[fe ofm•dntJJ't;•nd I jindt mort 6illtr then dtAth tht .,,,..,who(< htArl iJ .u ntls •ndfnarts; •nd htr h•nds M b•11ds t Who fo plt•ftlhGid fft.O lt dtlivmJftom htr,6•t tht finntr Jh•fl betAktn by htr. S•l•mon was taken as a linner,delivered as a penitent. His foule efcaped as a bird our of the fnare ofthe fowlers;the fnarewas broken, and he delivered: lr is good for us that hewas both t3ken, and delivered; Taken, that we might not prefume; and that we might not defpaire, delivered.He finned, that we might not finne; he rocovered,that we maynot finke under our finne. Bur,oh the ju!lice ofGod infepar2bldrom his mercy! S•lomons linne JlJall note- c fcape the rod ofmen;Rather rhen fo wife an offender tballwant enemies, God tball raife up three adverf.uies unto S•lomo» ; H•a•d the Edomite, Btz-on the King ofA· ram, Itr~h••m the fonne ofNeb41;whereoftwo were foraine,one domellicall: No. thing but love and peace founded in the name of S•l1mon; nothing elfe was found in hisrcigne, whiles he hddin good termes with his God : But when once hee fell foule with his Maker,all things began tobe troubled.There are whips laid up again£\ the time of S•l"'""' for<-f<en offence,which are now brought forth forhiscorrecti. on.On purpofe was H•d•d the f0nne ofthe King of Edom hid in a corner of Egypt from thefword of D•vid and I1.W, rhJt he might be r<ferved for a fcourgero thecK. orbifantfonne of D••lid: God would have usmake accountthat cut p<aceends with our innocence 1 The fame finne that fcrs debate betwixt God and us, armes the creatures againlt us : It were pity we tbould bee D at any quiet, whiles we are /aloe out with the God ofpeace. ---~------- - -
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