Contemplationr. Lts. I I I. Of J u o A H and T H A M A11.. D Finde not many of']•cohJ fonoes more faulty then l•d•h; who yet is fingled out from all the reil to be rbe royall Progeniror ofChrifl . and ro A be honoured with the dignity of the birthtight, that Gods'eleehon might not be of merit , but of grace : Elfe how!oever he might have fped alone,Th<mAr badneverbeen joyned with him in this line: Even l•d•h marries a Canaanite ; it is no marvell though his Seed profper not : And yet that good ch!ldren may not be too much dtfcouraged wuh rh m unlawfull propagation rbe Fathers of the promifed Seed areraifed fromanincefluousbed: I•d•bwa:very young, fcarce from underthe rod of his Father, yet rakes noorhercounfell for his B marriage, but from his owne eyes , whichwere like his filler Disah1 , roving and wanton: wh•t bertcr i!Tue could be expetl:ed from fuch beginnings? Thofe proud Jewes that glory fo much of their P_edigree and Name from this Patriarke, may now choofe whether they' '"" have thelfmother aCanaan1teor anHarlor:Even in thefe things oft-times the birth followes the belly. His eldefl fonne Er, is too wicked eo live; God flrikes him dead ere he can leave any iffue, not abiding any Siens ro grow oucoffobad a flock : notorioU! !inners God referves ro his owne vengeance. He dotb not inf!itl: fenr.ble judgments upon all his enemie• , Jell the wicked !hould rhinke there were no puni!hmenr abiding for themelfe-where. He doth inflict fuch judgments upon fome, Jell he !hould feeme careleffe ofevill. it were as eafie for him to flrike a \I dead, a. one: buthe had rather all fhould be warned by one, and would C have his enemies find ~.im mercifull, aswell as his children, ju!l : His brother On•" fees the judgment, and yet followes his fins. Every little thing difcourages us from good. nothingcan alterthehearc that is Cet upon evill : l!rwasnotworrhy ofany love· but though hewere amifcreant, yet he was abrother. Seed fhould have been raifed tohim ; tJa•~ ju!lly leefes his life with his Seed, which he would rather fpill · then lend to awicked brother. Some duties we owe to humanity, more to neere: ne!Teofblood. Ill deferving ofothers can beno excufe for our injullice, for our uncharirablene!Te. That which Thamar required, Mof<• afterward, as from God,commanded· the fuccefiion ofbrorhers into the barren bed : Some !awesGod fpake to hisChu:ch, Ionf! ere he wrote them: while rhe Author is certainly known, the voyce and thefinger ofGod areworthy ofequall refpect. INdahhath loll two fonnes, and 0 now doth but promife the third, whomhe finnes in nor giving. It is the weakene!Te ofnature, rother to hazard a finne then adanger; and ro neglect ourown duty, for wrongfull fufpirion of others : though he had loll his fonne in giving him, yet bee fiJOuld have givenhim: A faithfull manspromife is his debt,which no fear ofdamage <"n difpenfe with. Butwheret1pon was this flackneffe ? Iudah feared that fome unhappineffe in rhe bed of T!Jimar W!lS the caufe of his fonnes mifcariage ; whereas it was their limit, that Th•mar was both awidow and childle!Te. Thofe thatare butthe patientsof evil! are many rimes burdened with lufpirions; and therefore are dl thought of, becau're they fne ill : Affiil:tionswould not be fo heavy , iftheydid not Jay us open unto uncharitable conceits. E What difference God puts betwixt linnes ofwilfulneffe, and infirmirie? The fans pollution is puni!hed with prefent death, the fathers incefl ispardoned, and in aIOrt profper;erh. Now ThamAr feekes byfubtlery , that which fhe could not have by awardofjpflice : the neglectofdue reniburionsdrives men to indirell courfes; neither know 1 whether they finmore incighciog themfelveswrongfully,ot the other in nor righting them: She therefore cakes upon herrhehabitofan harlot, that fhe might perfOrme the aCl: : If!hehadnot wi!hed to feeme anWhore, !hehad not worn rh.c attire nor chofen that place. Immodeflyofoutward fafhion orgefiurebewrayes evill dtr.~es : the heart that meaneswell,will never wifh tofeerne ill; for commonly we affea ro !hew better thenwe are. Many harlots will put on the femblanw of ----------------------------------------------------------th--afi_ltYL--
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