Contemplations. Lra.XIX. certainty ot perilhing;among!l the Syrians,hazzard: Perhaps the enemy may have A fomepiry,hungerhathnone:and,were the death equally certain, it were more ea. fie ro die by rhe fword,rhen by famine:upon this deliberation they come down into the Syrian campe,to find eitherfpeed ofmercy, or difpatch. Their hunger would norgive them refpight till morning:By twi.light are they falne upon the uttermoll rents: BthDid, there.,,.. n1 mAll; They marvell at the filence, and folirude, rhey look, and liften;rhe noyfe oftheir own feet affrighted the; their guilty hearts fupplied the Syrians;and expelled fearfully thofe which were as fearefully Aed : How eafily can the Almighty confound the power ofthe ftrong,the policy of thewife? God puts a Panicle terror into the hearts ofthe proud Syrians; he makes them heare a noife of charets,and a noife ofhorfes,even the noife ofa great hoaft; They fay one to other, Lit theKi•g •flfr•tl h4th hired•gainjlm theKings ofthe Hittites,•ntlthe Kingsofthe B Eg'J}ti•ns, I Home •p•n m: thtJ Arifethertfore in H~nfofcd root,•ndle.ving•lltheir fo6jl4nct behindthem,jlee f~rtheir uvu. Not long before,£/,jhaes fervant (aw charers and horfes,but heard none;Now,thefe Syrians hear charets and horfes,butf<e none; That light comforted his heart, this found difmaied theirs: The lf'aelit<l heard no noyfe within thewals, rhe Lepers heard no noife without the gates 1 Only rhc SJri- .,,. heard this noife in their camp: Whatafcorn dorh God put upon rhefe prdump. ruous ArAmites?He will nor vouchfafe to ufe any fubllanriall !lraragemagainft them; notliing bur an empry found !hall fcatrer them, and fend them home empty of fub- !lance,laded with (}ume,half-dead with frar; the very horfes that might have ha!le· ned their lligbr,are left tyed in their Tenrs1 their very gormeors area burden; all is left behind,fave their very bodies,and thofe brearhlelfc for fpecd. c Doubtldle thefe Syrians knew well towhat miferableexiaents rhe inclofed Ifra. dires were broughtby their fiege; and nowmade full accou~t to fack, and ranfack their Samaria; already had they divided, and [wallowed the prey 1 when fuddenly God puts them intoa ridiculous confufion;and fends them to feck fafery in their hedes! no booty is DO\Y in price with them but their life , and happy is he that can run fa!lell. Thus the Almighty laughs at the ddignes of infolent men, and lbuts up their counfelsin lhame, . Thefeareofthefoure Lepers began now to give wayrofecurity; they fill their bellies,and hide!heircreafures,and paffc from one Tent to another, in a faftidions choice ofthe bell commodities; they whoere-while~ould have held it happioeffe enough to have been blelfed with a crull, now wantonly rove for dainties, and from D oecdlity leap inroexceffe. · How fJ! felf.Jove caries us in all our actions, even to the neglelt ofthe publike! Not till their own bellies,and hands,and eyes were filled, did thefe Lepers think of imparting this ncwes rolfr.tl: at laft,when themfdvcsare glutted, they begin to remember thehunger oftheir brethren, and now they find roomc for remorfc, We d1t not 10tl1,this daJ is aa•y ofg.,tltydings,andwt h•ld•ur ptAct. Nature teaches us that it is an injury to ingrotre bleflings; and fo tomind the private, as ifwe bad no relation ro a community;wearcworthyto be lbut our ofthe City-gat<> for Lepers,ifthc refpec1s to the publikegooddoe not over-fwayus in all our defires, in all our dcmea· nure;and we! may wewith rhefc covetous Lepersfeare a mifchicfe upon our fdves, ifwe lball wilfully conceale bleflings fromothers. E The confcience of this wrong anddangerfends back the Lepers into rhe City; they ~all to the Porters,& foon tranfmitthe newes ro the Kings houfhold;The King of lfrfd complaines nor to have hisfleep broken with fuch intelligence ; He a!ifeth in rhe nighr,and notconremnin~:good newcs, though brought by Lepers, confults with his fervants ofthe bufineffe. We cannot be roo jealous of rhe inrenrioas of an enemy; leh~r•m wifelyfufpeas rhis fli~ht ofthe Syriaws to be but fimulatory,and polirick, only to draw J{rAtl out of rhdr City.for the fpoilc ofboth.There may be m~re IX:r!ll in the back of an e~emy. then in his face: the cruelle!l (}aughrers have been 10 retmng ; eafily therefore IS the King perfwadcd toadventure fomefew for-lorn Scours for further affurance. Th• wordofE/ifh•isoutofhishcad,ourolhisbrart, dfe rherch:l\lbeen no pbce f~r thiS
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