Lu. XVIII. rhefoduced Prophet. A hcare hi!l' urging many unkindc expollulado~s with his injurious holl:.who yet difmi!fes hrm bener provrd: d for the cafe ofhiS JOUrney, then he found hrm. Perhaps this officioufndfe was our ofddirc to make fomc amends for this late feducemem. It is apoorc recompcnce when he hath betrayed his life, and wronged the foule,to call fame courtcfies upon the body. The old Bethditc that had taken paincs to come, and fetch the man ofGod into fin,will not now goc backwith him to accompany his depmure. D~ubtlelfc he was afraid to be inwrappedin the judgement,which he faw hanged over that obno xous head Thus the mifchievous guides ofwickodnclfc leave a man, when they have led ·him to his bane; as familiar Devils forfake rbeir Witches, when they have brought them once into fetter;. a" The man ofGod returnes alone, carcfull (nodoubt) and penlive for his offence, when a Lyon out ofthe wood meets him,alfaults him,ktls him:Oh the jull and (cvcre judgcmentsoftheAimighty,who harh brought this fierce beallout of hiswilde ranges, into the high way, to bee the executioner of his offending fervant ! Doubtleffe this Prophet was a man ofgreat holindfe, offingular fiddity,elfc he durll not have been Gods Herald tocarrya mcffJge ofdefiaoce to Ierob~am, King oflfrael, in the midll of his royall magnificence ; yet now, for varying frombut a circumlbnce of Godscommand(though upon the fuggellionofadivine warrant) isgiven for aprey to the Lyon:Our incerell in God, isfo farre from cxcufingour fin, that it aggravates it ; Ofall othen the fin of a Prophet fl1all not paffe unrevenged. The very wild bealls are led by a providence;Their wife and powerful! Creator C knowes howto ferve himfelfe ofthem. TheLions guard one Prophet, ltill another, according ro the commiflion received from their Malter: What !inner can hope to efcapounpunilhed, whenevery creature ofGod is ready to be an avenger of evil!~ The beall; of the field were made to ferve us,we to fervc ourCrearor:When we forf.1ke our homage to him that made us, it is no marvel! if the bealls forget their duty to us,and deale with us not asMall<rs, but as rebels : Wh<n an holy man buyes fo dcarely fuch a fieight frailty,ofa credulouswillaking;what !hall became ofourhJlnous and prefumptuoos finnes ~ I caonot think but this Prophet died in the favour of God,though by the teeth of the Lion;Hislife was forfeited for example,his foule was fafe: Yea his very carkalfe was left,though torne,yet faire aficrrhofc deadly grafpes; as if God had faid,l will D ondy rake thy breath from rhcc,as the penalty of thy difobedience;a Lion lhall doe thatwhich an apoplexie,or fevermight doe: I owe thee no further revenge then may be fatisfied with thy blood. Violent events doe not alwaies argue the anger ofGod; even death (t felfeis, to his fervants, a' fatherly calligation. But oh the unfearchablewayes of the Almighty!The man ofGod finnes,and dies fpeedily:the lying Prophet that feduced him,lilrvives;Yea wicked Itrohoa, enjoyes his Idolatry, and treads upon the grave ofhis reprover: There is neither favour in the delay ofllripes,nor difpleafure in the hall;Rather whomGodloves,he chaflifes, as lharply,lofpeedily;whiles the rellprofperto condemnation : Even the rod of a loving father may draw blood:Howmuch happier is it for us thatwedie now,to live E for ever, then that we live a while, to die ever~ Had this Lion fet upon the Prophet for hunger, why did henot devoure as well as kill him~ Why did he not rather kill the beall then the man~ fince we know the nature oftbe Lion fuch,that he is not wont toalfail man,fave in the extwllewam of other prey. Certainly the fame power that imployed rhofe fangs, rellrained them, that the w01ld might fee, it was not appetite that provoked the beall to this violence,but the over-ruling command of God: Even fo,O Lord,thy powerful! hand is over that roaring Lyon, that goes about continually, feeking whom he may devoure; thine hand with-holdshim, that though he may lhed the bloodof thine Elell, yet he cannot hurtrheir foules J and whiles hedoth thofe things which thou permittell, and orderellto thy jull ends, yet he cannot doe lelfer things, which hee defireth, and thou permittell nor. Ggggg 1 'I' he ulh
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