L u. Ill. Of] A coB and.L ARA ~· I 8o9 A will needs fuborneher hondmaid tomake her amother; and arfall beyond hope her felfe conceiveth: It is aweake greedindfe in us to affect Godsbleffings by unlawfull meanes ; what a proofe and praife had it beeneofher faith iffhe had llayedOods leafure,and >Oonld rather haveendur•dher barrennes, rhen her hulbandspolygamy? Now fhe !hews her felfe rhe daughter of Lab~"; the Father forcoveroufnetfe, the daughters foremulation have drawn finneinro Jacobt bed:heoffended inyeelding, bur they more in foliciting him, and therefore the fact is not imputed to ]acob, but rorhem. In rhofe Gnnts which Satan drawesusinro, the blame is ours: in rhofe which we move each ether nnro,rhemoll fault and punifhmenr !yes upon the tempter.None of rhe Parriarkes divided his feed into fo many wombes as Ja<ob;nonewas fo much crotfed in his feed. Thus,rich in nothing but wives and children, was he now returning tohis FaB tbers houfe, accountinl( his charge hiswealth. Bur Godmeant himyermore good. Uba11 fees rhar both his Family and hts Flockes were well encreafed by Jaco{u fervice. Nor his love thereforebur his gainemakeshim loth ro parr. Even Labast covetoufnetfe ismade by God the meanes ro enrich J.cob. Behold,his llrairmaller entreats him to that recompence, ~hich made his nephew mighry,and himfelfe envious: God confidering his hard fervice, payd himwages out of Lab~,, folds. Thofe flocks and beards had but few fporred Sheepe an.d Goars,untill Jaca/JJ covenanr: then (as if the fafhion hld been altered) they all ran into Parry· colours; rhemoll and bell (as ifthey had been weary oftheir fonmer owber) chmC ged rbe colrurs oftheir young, rhar they might change theirmaller. In the rery fhapes and colours ofbrute creamres rhere is adivine hand,which difpofeth them ro hisowne ends. Small and unlikely meanes !hall prevailewhere Ood imendsan effect. Lirdepilled !licksofHafell or poplar laid in rhe troughs, !hall enrich J~<a6 with an encreafe of his fpotred flocks; La6an1 fans might have rryed the fame meanes& failed: God would have L•ban know that he pur adifti!rence berwixr ' Jtcd and him, that as for fourteen yeares he had multiplied Jacobs charge ofcattell 10 u;•• ,fo now for the !all fix yeeres bewould multiply L46~"' flock to Jocob:and if Ld•11 had the mote, ytttbe betterwere J ocobt : Even in rhefeoutward things, Gcds children havemany times fenfible ra{les o£ his favours above the wicked. 1 knownot whether Labao were aworfeUncle,or Father, or Mafter: becan like D well Jocait fervice, not his wealth. Asthewicked have no peace wirhGod, fothe godly have no peacewith men; for ifthey profper not, they are defpifed; ifthey profper, they are envied. ThisUncle, whom his fervice had madehis father, mull now upon his wealth befled from a> an enemy, and like an enemy purfues him: If Laion had meant ro have taken a peaceal>le leave, hee had never fpenr feven dayes journey in following his innocent fonne: Jocob knew his churlifhneffe,and therefore refolved rarherro bee unmannerly rhen injured : well mighthee rhinke, that bee, whofc oppreffion changed hiswages fo often in his fiay,would alfo abridge hiswages in the patting; now therefore hewifely prefers hisown efrare to LabaRslove: it is nor good to regard too much the unjull difconrcnrmenr of worldlymen, and ro purchafeunprofitable favour with roo great lofTe. Behold : Laban follows Jacob with one troope, E[a11 meets him with another, E both with hollile intentions: bothgoeon till the utmoll point oftheirexecution: both are prevented ere the execution. God m•kes fooles of the enemiesofhis Church, he lets them proceed,rhat they may befrullrare, and when they are gone to the utmoll reach oftheir rerhn, bepuls them hacke to their t2tke with lhame: Loe now, u~~IJieavesJO<•b with a kilfe;Efa• meetshimwith akifTe: Ofrheone hehath an oath, reares ofrheorher,peacewith both: Who lhall need to feare man that ii in leaguewirhGod? Butwhat awonder is this? l4<ob received notfomuch hurt from all his enemies, as from his bell friend. Nor oneofhis hairsperifhedby Lab•• or EJ••; yet he lofia joynt by rhe Angell, and was fent halting to his grave: He that knows our llrenllth )'et will wrelllewirh us for our exercife, and loves ourviolence and importunity. 0 happy loffeofJdeoi! he loll a joynr,and wonne ablc!ling: Itisafavourto halt Zzz ~ from
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