Contemplations. Lra.XXI. but loyalty to thee : Asover thou woulddt· oblige an humble and faithfull va!Tall A to thce,as ev<r tllou wouldft honour thy name, and fexe, with the praife of tender compaffion, take pitty upon me, and I pare that life which !hall be vowed to thy !ervice: and whereas thy difp!eafure may juftly alkage agaioft me that rancorous riot for the extirpation of that people, whom I, too late, know to be thine; let it fuffice that I bate, I curfe mme owne cruelty; and onely upon that condition fhall beg the reprivall ofmy life•. that I ibal! worke, and procure by thy gracious ayd, a full defeazance of that unJuft execuupn. Oh let fall upon thy defpairing fervanr one word offJvourromy difpleafed Mafter, that I may yet live. Whiles he was fpeakiug to this purpofe, having proftrate himfelfe (for themore humilirie) before the QJ!eene, and fpread his arm<S in a vehement imploration up to her bed; the King comes in, and, as not unwilling to mifconfter lite pofture of B him, whom he now hated, fayes, What, ••iD he force the J!f!_ecne•lfo hrforemein thu hou(rlThat which H.,.,, meamas an humble fuppliaot,is interpreted as from a prefumptuous offender; how oft m1ght he have done fo, and more,wh•les he was in favour, unanfur<d~ .1\dions are not the fame when the man alters.As charity makes a good fcnfe of doubtfull occurrenrs, fo prejudice and difpl.afure takes all thin•s (though well•meant) at the worft. It is an eafie thing to picke a quarrell, where 1~e intend amifchiefe. The wrrah ofthe King is as amclfenger ofdeath:Whiles thefc words were yet in themouth of Ah•fuml4, Haman, in turning his head towards the King, is fuddcnly muflled for his execution ; he !hall oomore fee either face, or Sun: he !hall be feeo no more but as a fpedacle oflhame,and horror: and now he thinks,Wo is me,whofe C eyes ferve me only t<> forefee the approach of a difhonorable and painful! death ! whatam ltheberrcrtohavebeengreat~Othatlhad never been, 0 that I could not be! Howroo truly have zmjb and my friends foretold me ofthis heavy ddliny~ Now am I roady to led what it is that I ineanr to thoufands of innocents; I fhal dy wirh painc and igoominy:Oh that the confcience ofmine intendedmurthcr could dy with me. It is no marvel ifwicked men find nothing but utter difcomforts in their end:rather then failc, their former happinetre !hall joyne with their imminent miferies, tot01ment them. It is the juft judgment ofGod, that prefumptuous !inners fhould be fwallowcd up of the fe evi\ls, which they would not feare; Happy is that man,who bath grace to fore-fee,and avoid tbofe waies,which will lead him to aperfed confufion, Happy is he that bath fo lived that he caneither welcome death as a D friend, or defie it as an enemy. Who was ever the better for favour paft ~ thofe that had before kilTed the feet, and fmiled in the face of H•m•n, are now asready ro cover his head, and help him to the gallowes.H.rhonah one ofthe Chamberlaines,feafonably tdls the King how ftatdy a gibbet H•m•n had newly let up for w<ll deferving M~rder•i, within his owne palace. I heare not one man open his mouth to intercede for the offender, to pacifie the King, to excufcor leffen the fad; every one is ready to pul him downe thatis falli_ng, to trample on him that is downe; yet no doubt, there were fome ofthefe Couruers whom H•man had obliegcd; Had the caufebecn better, thus it would have been. Every Curre i< ready to fall upon the dog that he fees worried; But here, it was the E jull hand ofGod to fet off all hearts from a man that had been. fo unreafonably mcrcilc!Te; and to roiiC: up enemies (even among friends) to him that had profeffed enmity to Gods Chcrch: So let thine en<nies perifh 0 Lo~d u?fuccor~d, unpil!ed. The a the Ki~gfoid,h•ng himtherm>: There can be no truer JUftlcethenmretahauon1 Who can complaine oi his ownc meafure~ Bthold,the •vieked tuvtUeth with iniq•ity, .ndh.th co~ceived mifthiefi, •ndbroughtfml;[Atjbood.Hem•de ~pit •m/ diggedit! Altd I is faOct~inte thtditch th41 he mAdt;Hu mifthufi Jb•l rtt•rn •p•nh11own hwi,•ntl h11vl· olent de•lingfba/1 come downe upm hu •wne p•te. . . There hangs H •>n•n,in more reproacb,thcn ever he ~ood mhonour;and M!rdet~l (who is now firft knowne for what he was) fucceeds h.is favour,and changesmhcn~ tauces \Vith his enemy; for whiles H.,•n inherits the gibbet ofM~rdecai, M_~rdec_•• mhems
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