L1a.XXI. Haman hanged,&c. ----:-:------ A couldnot {bnd with the honour of the King, to kiU him whom he faw caufe toadVJDCC"; neither could this be any other, then r.h~ bcganmng ofadurable promotion; orherwifc, what rccornpence had an hourcs ndmg been to fo grl!"a~ a fervice-: On the other fide, HamAIJ droupes and hath changed p:lJTions WHh .M1rdec 4 ;. Nd. ther was that Iew ever more deeply aiHitted with the decree o~his own death; then this Jgagite was with th~t Jews honour: f-_low heavy do~h 1t lte at Hamam heart, rbot no tongue, but his, mtght ferve ro P!oclatme tMordtw happy ! Even the greatcft mignonsofthewotld mull have thetr turnes offorrow. With ocovered head,ond a ifeJected ~ountenance,dorh he ha!lcn home,and longs to impart his gricfe, wh<re he had receiVed hiS advtee: It was butcold comfortthat he finds from his wife zmjb, and his friends, ifM.,du•i ht•ftht fitdoftht ltws,/, 1 • B wh1m th"' hajl htg11~,. foU,thou foall notprtvailt againJI him,hut foalt fort!y f•Ohthim:Out of the mouth ofPagans,O God,thouha!l ordatned !lrength,thatthou maill !\ill theenemy, and the avenger. What crcdtt bath thy great name won with thcfe barbarous nations , that they can out ofall experience make ma.imcs of thine undoubted protection of thy people, and the cerraine ruine of their adverfaries ~ Mer. find no ditfhence inthemfelves; the face ol a lew lookes fo like other mens, that Ejlher and M~rdteai were not (oflong) taken for \vhat they were: He that made them, makes thedi!linttion betwixt them; {o as a Itw "''J J.U before a Perfian, and get up and prevaile; but ifa Perfian (or whofoevcr ofthe Gentiles) begin ro fall before a Iew, he can neither ftay, nor rife: There is •n invilible hand of omnipotencie that !lrikes in for his own, and confounds their oppofites. 0 God, neither is thine hand !hortned, nor thy bowds ftraimed in thee; thou art !till and C ever thy felfe; Ifwe be thy true fpirituall Ifrael, neither earth nor hell !ball pre(ailc againft us; we !ball either fiand furc, or furely rife, whiles our enemies !balllicke the duft. Haman hanged, Mordecai advanced. A mAns day is now come; That vengeancewhich hath hitherto flept, is now awake, and rouzeth up it felfeto a ju!l execution; Th2theavy mor· ning was but the preface to his !aft forrow, & the fad prefage offriends is verified in the fpeaking; Whiles the word was in their mouthes, tile mdfcngers were at ~he doore ro fetch HAman to·his funerall·banquer. How little do we know what IS towards us~ As thefi!hes that aretaken in an evil! n<ot, and as the birds that are caught in thefnare, fo are the fons of men fnared in an evill time. when it falleth fuddenly upon them. It was (as Haman conceived) the onely priviledge of his dearcneffe,and the comfort ofhis prefentheavinelfe, that he onely was called with the King, to Eflhers banquet, when this onely was meant forhis bane: The face ofthis invitation was faire, and promifeth much ; and now the ingenuous man begins to fet good con!lruaions upon all events.Surely (thinks he) the Ki~ was tyed in his honor to give fome publik E gratification to Mordteai; fo good an-o!hce could deferve no Idle, then an houres glory; But little doth my ma!lerknow whattermesthereare betwixt me,and M or· dtcAi l had he fully underflood the infolences of this lew,and !hould notwitb!lao. ding have injvyned me to honour him, I might have had ju!l caufe to complainc of difgrace, anddifparagement; but now, fince all this bufineffe bath been carried in ignorane<, and cafualty, why do I wrongmy felfe in being too much affeCted with that \'ohiclvwas not ill mea m~ Had eithenhe Kin!', orQ!eene, abated oughtoftheir favour tome, I might have dined at home; now lhis renued invitation argues me to !land rightinthe grace of both: and why may not! hope, this day, to meet with a good occafion of my de fired revenge~ How ju{\ will itf<eme to the King, thatthe hme man whom he bath publikely rewarded for hisloyalty,!hould now be publikely puni!l1td for his dtfobedience ~ X X X XX, With1
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