LIB. XIX. A HA B and BEN HAD A o. A- B;,h~dad and his Kings, are more beholding eo their horfcs, than eo their gods or themfelves for life and fafety,elfe they hadbeeneither taken or flaine,by th~fe, whom they commanded to be .aken. Howeaficis it for him that made the heart, to fill it with terror,and conflernation,even where no feare is ~ Thofe whom God.hath de!lined to flaughter, he w,ll fmire,neither ne<~ds he any othe& enemyor executioner,rhen what he findcs in their owne bofome:We are not the maflers ofour owne courage, or feares .; both an: put into usbytlm over-rulingpowerthatcreated us.Stay on\v,O flay,~hou greatKing of Syria,and take with thee thofe forgotten.handfulls ofthe dufl oflfrael: Thy gods will doe fa to thce,andmore alfo,if thy followers returne without their vowed burden: Learnc now ofthe defpifed King of I{rael, from henceforth noo ea found the triwnph before the bauell;ROt to boafl thy felfe in the gird,ing onofthy har.oelfe,as in the puttingoff. I hearenot ofeithet t.he publiqtte thankfgiving,or amendment of Aba~.Neither danger nor viClory ~n change him from himfelf: Bmhadad & b~houghenemies, agree inunrepent:mce; theon( is no mor:e moved withtn.crcy,.then th~otber \Vith judgement: Neither is God anychangeling in his proceedings towards both; his judgement 0Jall flai follow the Syl'ian,his me,cy Ifratl:mercy,both in fore-warning and redelivering Ahab ; Judgement in overthrowing Bmhadad. The Prophet of God comes againe,&both foretcls the intended re-encoumer ofthe Syrian,and advifes the care, and preparation ef Ifrael: Gotftrtngthm thyftife,andmArk,aJJd fee what thou doe{l,for, auhe retur•e ojlhtytare,the K/,ngofSpiawiB come •P I!f;•inft thtt : God : purpo!C:th the deliYeranceof Ifrul, yet may not they negle& their fortifications; The mercifull intentionsof God towards tbem may not make themcarelelfe; The induftry and courageofthe Ifraelitcs fall wi<hin the decree oftheir vitlory;fecurity is the bane ofgood fuccelTe; It is no contemning ofa.foyled enemy; the lhame of a former difgracea11d mifcauiage,whets his valor,&lhatpens it torevcnge:Nopower is fo.dreadfull,as t\lat w hi ehls recolleded from anoverthrow, The hofiillty agoinl'l the Ifrae( ofGodmay flee11, but will hardly dye. Ifthe A· r.mius fit ftil,it is but til they he fully rQdy.for an al!a~lt; timewill lhe1Y that their cetfation was only for their advamage;neither is it otherwife with our fpirltual ad· verfaries : fometimesthei~ onfets are intermitted; they tempt not alwaies, they al· wayes hate us:theirforbearance is nat ollt of favour·, but auendance ofopportunity; happy arewe,ifout of a fufpition ofth•it !ilence, we can as bu!ily prepare for their refiflance,as they doe for our in,Jpugnation. As it is a lhametobe beaten, fa yet the lhame is lelTe,byhow muchthe vidor is greatcr1to mitigate the g•iefe,&indignationof BenhadadJ foile, his parafites afcribe it to gods, not to men; anpumane power could no more have vanquilh't him,then a divine power could by him be refifle.J1 Their g•d.14rtgod1 o{tht hiil1; ignorant Syrians,that nameGods,&confine tf\em,varying their deit)e~accordingto ftruations! They law that Samada( ~~hence •hey we~ repelled) flOO{I upon the hill of shemcr; They faw the temple of Ierufalern floodupon ·mounr Sim; theyknew it ufuall with the lft..elites to facrifice in thcit high places, and perhaps they had heard ofEiij•h' altar, upponmoqnt Carmel; and nowchey fottilhly me'!fure the effctls ofthe power by the place oftheworOJip;as ifhe that wasomnipotent on the hill, were impotent in the Valley ; What qoltiOl conceits qoth blind Paganifme frame to it felfe ofa Godhe~d! As th~y have many gods,fa finite1every Region,every hil!,every dale,every ttrcame h•th their feverall goqs, and oach fo knows hisown bounds, that bee dares not offer to incroach upon the or her; or, ifhe·doe,abuyes itwith lolfe: Who would think th•t fo gr<;>ffe blpcldflmelfe fhould finde h~Jbour in a re•fonable foule~ Aman doth not alter with his ftarion;He that wraflled flrongly upon the hillofeth not his force in the plaine;all places find himalike adive,alike valourous ; yetthefe barbarous Aramites 01ame not to imagine that ofGod, which they would blulh to affirmo oftheir owne champions. Supcrflirion infatuates the heart out ofmcafure; neither is there any fancy fa abfurdor monftrous, which credulous infidelity is not ready to entenaine with applaufe, In 1211
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